Written by Nikhila HenryHyderabad | January 15, 2026 11:51 AM IST 2 min readThe case was first booked by officers at the Hyderabad Central Crime Station (CCS)A special investigation team (SIT) formed to investigate alleged libellous content aired by a Telugu TV channel has arrested two journalists in Hyderabad.The case was first booked by officers at the Hyderabad Central Crime Station (CCS) against some media outlets based on a complaint by the IAS officers’ association secretary, Jayesh Ranjan, on January 10.As per the complaint, the TV channels aired content that defamed a woman IAS officer. The channel had alleged an illicit relationship between the IAS officer and a minister in the Revanth Reddy government’s Cabinet.The SIT on Wednesday picked up Donthu Ramesh, the input editor of NTV news channel, from the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad on Tuesday night while he was about to board a flight to Bangkok for a vacation. His colleague, Sudheer, was picked up from his home in Hyderabad.“We took some reporters of a news channel into custody for questioning in relation to a case booked regarding causing insult and humiliation to a woman IAS officer. Spreading false information without any basis and resorting to character assassination, especially about a woman officer, is absolutely wrong,” Hyderabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar told the media.Responding to allegations, Donthu Ramesh released a video that said, “The arrest is illegal, and we will fight it legally in court.” Sudheer claimed the case was booked even though they were not responsible for the libellous content being aired.అర్ధరాత్రి జర్నలిస్టుల నిర్బంధం❗ ఎయిర్పోర్టులో ఎన్టీవీ ఇన్పుట్ ఎడిటర్ దొంతు రమేశ్ను అరెస్ట్ చేసిన పోలీసులు⚠️ అర్ధరాత్రి ఇండ్లకు వెళ్లి జర్నలిస్ట్ చారి, దళిత జర్నలిస్ట్ సుధీర్ను పట్టుకెళ్లిన వైనం యాంకర్ దేవిని 4 గంటల పాటు విచారణ ఎన్టీవీలో సోదాలు.. హార్డ్… pic.twitter.com/rge8F6Bs5k— BRS Party (@BRSparty) January 15, 2026The arrests were widely criticised by Opposition parties in Telangana, with Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) tagging Rahul Gandhi on social media, accusing him of allowing the Congress government in the state to arrest journalists on false pretexts. YSR Congress Party’s leader and former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, Jagan Mohan Reddy, also condemned the arrests on Wednesday.Nikhila Henry is an Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Hyderabad. With a career spanning 17 years, she has established herself as an authoritative voice on South Indian affairs, specialising in the complex intersections of politics, education, and social justice. Experience & Career: Nikhila commenced her journalism career in 2007 as an education correspondent for The Times of India in Hyderabad,where she gained recognition for her coverage of student politics. Her professional trajectory includes a four-year tenure at The Hindu, where she focused on minority affairs and social welfare. In 2019, she took on a leadership role as the South Bureau Chief for The Quint, where she directed regional coverage across all five South Indian states. Her expansive career also includes a tenure at the BBC in New Delhi and contributions to prestigious international outlets such as The Sunday Times (London) and HuffPost India. Expertise & Focus Areas Nikhila’s reportage is marked by a deep-seated understanding of grassroots movements and institutional policy. Her core focus areas include: Regional Politics: Comprehensive analysis of the socio-political dynamics across South India. Education & Student Movements: Chronicling the evolution of Indian academics and the rise of youth activism. Minority Affairs: Rigorous reporting on the welfare, rights, and challenges facing marginalized communities. National Beat: Elevating regional stories to national prominence through investigative and on-ground reporting. Authoritativeness & Trust A respected figure in Indian media, Nikhila is not only a seasoned reporter but also an accomplished author and editor. She authored the critically acclaimed book The Ferment: Youth Unrest in India and edited Caste is Not a Rumour, a collection of writings by Rohith Vemula. Her dual background in daily news reporting and long-form authorship allows her to provide readers with a nuanced, historically-informed perspective on contemporary Indian society. Find all stories by Nikhila Henry here. ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Hyderabad policejournalists