Telugu YouTuber Arrest: 'Prashna' Raavan Booked Under UAPA In Fifth Arrest In Five Days

YouTuber Raavan, who runs the popular channel Prashna, was arrested for the fifth time in five days on Saturday, July 4, this time under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The repeated arrests come amid his ongoing row with Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan over remarks on caste discrimination.

Raavan has been booked under Section 13, which deals with punishment for unlawful activities, and Section 39, which relates to support given to a terrorist organisation, under the UAPA. The case additionally invokes charges of waging war against the Government of India, acts endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of the country, provocation with intent to cause riot, assertions prejudicial to national integration, and statements conducing to public mischief.

Speaking to the media on July 5 after the arrest, Raavan's lawyer and advocate-turned-politician, Jada Sravan Kumar, said that the case includes Section 147 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with waging war against the government and carries a punishment of death or life imprisonment. He alleged that after Raavan secured bail in four earlier cases linked to his comments against Pawan Kalyan, the police invoked increasingly serious sections to prevent him from walking free again.

According to Sravan, the UAPA case stems from a complaint filed by one Garikapati Siva Sankar. Reading out portions of the FIR, Sravan said it accused Raavan of "glorification of a banned terrorist organisation and propagation of extremist ideology through social media." The FIR further alleged that Raavan uploaded a video containing speeches glorifying the banned CPI (Maoist) outfit, propagating its ideology and encouraging support for armed rebellion, and that the content was likely to influence the public, particularly the youth, in a manner prejudicial to India's sovereignty and security.

While it remains unclear which video the complaint refers to, Sravan pointed to Raavan's speech at a public meeting called Dalita Kraistava Samara Sankharavam, or Dalit Christians' War Cry, held in Eluru on June 28. "The subject of Maoists or terrorists didn't come up in his speech at the event. He mainly criticised Pawan Kalyan in the speech," Sravan said.

Raavan has been in custody since the night of June 30 and has been re-arrested almost immediately after securing bail on each occasion. Most of the cases trace back to his remarks criticising the Deputy Chief Minister for inaction on caste discrimination during the same Eluru meeting. The bulk of the complaints against him have reportedly been filed by workers of the Jana Sena Party.

In one earlier case, filed by the Sarpavaram police, Raavan was accused of engaging a child to commit an offence after interviewing students of a government school in Yendapallu, within Pawan Kalyan's Pithapuram constituency, who alleged caste discrimination by teachers and classmates. The complaint claimed he "illegally used minor children in Pithapuram to create and publish politically motivated videos" targeting the Deputy Chief Minister.

Pawan Kalyan, meanwhile, issued a statement a day after Raavan's first arrest, announcing tough measures against social media abuse. He said citizens had the right to criticise the government, but added that "abusing someone, issuing death threats, spreading false allegations, targeting women, insulting religious beliefs, attacking someone's dignity, or provoking violence are not protected under the Constitution."

Raavan's journey through custody has been eventful: picked up first by the Pithapuram police, he was re-arrested by the Sarpavaram police soon after securing station bail, followed by arrests from the Inaguduru and Payakaraopeta police. After securing bail on the evening of July 4, he was arrested again at the Vempadu toll gate, booked under UAPA and moved to Gannavaram, with a notice served to his wife.

In a statement recorded shortly before this latest arrest, Raavan alleged the state was deploying police in large numbers against him instead of addressing public issues, and said he has been on a hunger strike for four days. "You can kill me, but you cannot kill all questioning voices," he said.