NHRC registers case over arrest of NTV journalist at Hyderabad airport

The National Human Rights Commission has filed a case against the detention and arrest of NTV reporter Donthu Ramesh by the Hyderabad police following a complaint terming the action as abuse of power and violation of press freedom.

Human rights lawyer Rama Rao Immaneni, who filed the complaint, said the incident took place on January 14 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport on the outskirts of Hyderabad. The NHRC accepted the complaint on January 15 and confirmed that the matter had been formally registered by assigning it log number 1079/IN/2026.

According to the complaint, Donthu Ramesh, input editor of Telugu news channel NTV, was accused of murdering several police officers, including Deputy Commissioner of Police Guru Raghavendra and Deputy Sub-Inspector Md. He was detained by plainclothes police personnel, including Aleem, without prior notice or compliance with legal procedure. The complainant alleged that mandatory measures requiring advance notice under Article 35(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita were deliberately ignored.

The complaint further stated that the arrest stemmed from a case registered on the complaint of senior IAS officer Jayesh Ranjan following the publication of a news report citing allegations against an unnamed female IAS officer.

The complainant argued that Mr Jayesh Ranjan was not personally aggrieved by the telecast and no female officer was clearly mentioned in the report.

The matter was classified by the NHRC under “brutality against members of the media” and the police were listed as the relevant authority.

Seeking the Commission’s intervention, the complainant requested an independent investigation into the role of the police officers involved, compensation for the journalist and consequential action against the investigating officer and other personnel accused of carrying out the arrest. The defense also requested that instructions be given to prevent similar violations in the future.