Hyderabad: Tensions escalated in Hyderabad’s Jubilee Hills area on Saturday as Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) supporters allegedly vandalised the office of Mahaa News, accusing the TV channel of airing “fake news” about BRS working president KT Rama Rao (KTR) in connection with the ongoing phone-tapping investigation.

Videos of the attack, now circulating widely on social media, show BRS workers hurling stones, smashing window panes, damaging vehicles parked outside, and chanting slogans like “Khabardaar”. Despite staff members offering to hold talks, the mob persisted in their aggression.

Eyewitnesses say that office equipment was destroyed, newsroom furniture overturned, and at least a few staff members were injured while attempting to protect the premises. The assailants were reportedly armed with rods, knives, and other blunt objects.

Mahaa News, which is known for its critical coverage of political issues in Telangana, condemned the attack in strong terms. A senior editor stated, “This wasn’t just an attack on a media house — it was an attack on freedom of speech, on the courage to speak truth to power. We will not be silenced by violence.”

The incident has sparked widespread outrage among journalist unions, civil society, and opposition parties, who see the attack as a serious threat to press freedom.

As of Saturday evening, no official police statement has confirmed arrests, though an FIR is expected. The BRS party has not issued a formal response regarding the conduct of its cadre.