The case booked by the Delhi special branch police against Punch Prabhakar, who is believed to be YSR Congress party’s overseas social media activist for alleged abusive posts on the social media against high profile people including Vice President of India M Venkaiah Naidu and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, has created ripples in the party.
The YSRC leadership is said to have quickly reacted to the police case against Punch Prabhakar, stating that he has nothing do with him or his postings in the social media.
The party is expected to give an official statement in this regard.
Though it is generally believed that Prabhakar is a YSRC activist in the US taking care of the social media activities abroad, the party wants to make it clear that he is not a member of the party at all.
However, it is an undeniable fact that Punch Prabhakar has been a die-hard fan of YSRC president and chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy.
He regularly posts comments on the social media appreciating the Jagan government’s programmes, while making abusive comments against Jagan’s detractors.
In fact, Prabhakar himself claimed in one of his YouTube postings in the past that he was not a member of YSRC, but a fan of Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Now, the YSRC is also disowning him, stating that it has nothing do with the abusive language being used by him against the opposition leaders on the social media.
The Delhi police, who booked a case against Punch Prabhakar under Sections 504 (Intentionally insulting and provoking others) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of Indian Penal Code, are said to be trying to bring him to India for questioning.
The CBI, which is also probing the case of YSRC social media activists using abusing language against members of judiciary, is also learnt to have filed the case against Punch Prabhakar. Notice was issued to him along with others in the case, as per the high court orders.
In fact, several of his friends reportedly advised Punch Prabhakar not to use such foul language against Jagan’s political rivals, lest he gets into trouble.
“There is a thin line between the criticism and use of filthy language and one cannot cross it. When somebody gets into trouble, the party he supports doesn’t come to his rescue at all. It applies to the supporters to all the political parties,” a political observer said.
