Police Hunt For Ram Gopal Varma Is Still On

Film director Ram Gopal Varma is willing to cooperate with the Andhra Police investigation into his alleged offensive social media posts about Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and others. Varma's lawyer stated that the director will cooperate via "digital mode" as "digital policing is prevalent all over India now". This comes after a case was registered against Varma at Maddipadu police station in Prakasam district on November 11 for allegedly posting morphed and "indecent" photographs of Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, and their family members on social media.

The lawyer claimed that the new Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) law allows probes in hybrid mode for "small cases" such as the one in which Varma has been booked. Varma's response was sent to the police through Whatsapp and speed post, but the police have yet to respond. The case against Varma was booked based on a complaint from Ramalingam, who claimed that Varma's social media posts undermined the standing of the CM, Deputy CM, and their family members in society.

High drama unfolded at Varma's residence after he failed to appear before the Andhra Pradesh police. A state police team was seen waiting at the director's house, and Varma was given permission till November 24 after he appealed for more time due to prior cinema shooting engagements. However, Varma failed to appear for investigation on November 25, prompting the police to dispatch two teams to Hyderabad.

Varma's lawyer maintained that the director made no mistake and that this is neither sedition nor international mafia. The lawyer stated that they will follow the rule of law, and Varma is willing to cooperate with the investigation digitally.