Ramgopal Verma questioned in Ongole for nine hours

Film director Ramgopal Varma questioned by police in Ongole for alleged derogatory remarks about politicians on social media.

Noted film director Ramgopal Varma had gone to Ongole Rural Police Station in Prakasam district on Friday (February 7, 2025) in a case related to alleged derogatory remarks about Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan and their family members on social media platforms.

According to the locals, YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leader Dr. Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy met Mr. Varma before the latter had gone to the police station. The filmmaker was questioned for more than nine hours from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. Though he came to the station with a local advocate, he was not allowed inside the questioning room.

Speaking to The Hindu, Srikanth Babu, Circle Inspector of Ongole Rural Police Station, said that he and his team have questioned RGV for a quite long time, and the film director has responded well. “After a half-day interaction, we informed him that he should attend again some other day. RGV assured to visit the police station any number of times,” he said.

However, the inspector didn’t reveal the next date of questioning. He neither disclosed any details of the investigation, citing confidentiality. The case was registered against Mr. Varma based on a complaint from Muthenapalli Ramalingaiah, a Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader in Maddipadu Mandal during last November.

He was charged under Sections 336 (2), 353 (2), 356 (2), 61 (2), 196 and 352 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with Section 67 of IT Act. The Ongole Rural police officials have sent several notices to him earlier, but he never attended till Friday. Without getting arrested, he has sought anticipatory bail from the court, which ordered him to co-operate with the police staff whenever required.

Mr. Varma had been facing similar complaints at multiple places, but the film director claimed that he attended a police station for the first time in his life. On social media platform X, he tweeted, “I love Ongole and I love Ongole police even more” attaching his selfie picture with a glass of water in his hand.