Journalist Shankar Goud remanded following Medicover Hospital complaint

Journalist Shankar Goud, creator of the YouTube channel News Line Telugu, has been remanded for 14 days following his arrest by Hyderabad police. The arrest follows a complaint filed by the management of Medicover Hospitals in Secunderabad.

The First Information Report (FIR) accuses Goud and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Hema Sudarshan of participating in protests at the hospital premises. The allegations include wrongful restraint, causing hurt, criminal intimidation, criminal trespass, mischief, and intentional insult to provoke a breach of peace. The hospital management claims that demonstrators blocked ambulances, assaulted staff, and damaged property.

Goud has been reporting extensively on alleged medical negligence and a series of patient deaths at the facility. His reporting highlighted instances where multiple individuals reportedly died within short periods, including a 26-year-old advocate and a 2-year-old girl.

Political opposition, including leaders from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), have condemned the arrest, calling it an attack on media freedom. Some opposition members have also raised unverified allegations regarding the business dealings of the state leadership in connection to the hospital.