YouTuber Joseph Promoting Maoist Ideology, Portrays Hidma as Great, Says AP Police

Vijayawada:The Andhra Pradesh police have stated that YouTuber Batchalakuri Joseph alias Ravan spread the ideology of the banned CPI (Maoist) among the people through his social media content and portrayed its recently deceased leader Madvi Hidma as a great personality.

The Gannavaram DSP from Krishna district in his remand report submitted to the XII additional junior first class magistrate in Gannavaram stated this while seeking remand of the accused for 15 days. He had been arrested under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

The DSP submitted to the court that the offence was serious in nature and affected the integrity and sovereignty of the nation. “The accused, through his social media content, stated that members of the banned terrorist organisations like Hidma and Kesava Rao should be reborn and indicated that the war should go on.”

The remand report claimed that the accused even changed his name to ‘Ravan’, a figure considered the embodiment of evil in Hindu Dharma, to provoke, insult and outrage the religious sentiments of the Hindu community.

The accused invited youths to follow the ideology by way of war against the state, the police claimed.

The report said the accused was non-cooperative in the investigation and refused to answer any questions put forward to him.

The Gannavaram police filed a petition in the court here on Monday seeking police custody of the accused for 10 days to interrogate him further.

When he was produced before the court on Sunday evening, it put him in judicial remand up to July 18 and subsequently, the accused was shifted to a jail in Nellore.