Jagan accuses Andhra police of identifying as FBI in social media takedown request

YSRCP president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday accused the Andhra Pradesh Police of identifying itself as the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) while seeking the removal of social media posts from his party's handle on X.

Holding Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu responsible for what he described as an alleged impersonation by the police department, the former chief minister called it "state-sponsored deception aimed at politically motivated harassment".

"Fake identity, real threat to democracy... your (Naidu's) police force identifying themselves as the US Federal Bureau of Investigation while seeking the removal of posts from X is the most deplorable act that tarnishes the reputation of our state and country," Reddy said in a social media post.

Reddy claimed X had confirmed that the takedown request originated from an official Andhra Pradesh Police email address and not from the US agency. He alleged that the officer who sent the request had identified the FBI as the sender organisation.

The YSRCP chief questioned who had authorised the request and why the FBI's identity was allegedly used, wondering whether it was an attempt to mislead the social media platform and suppress criticism of the TDP-led NDA government.

He alleged that the move was aimed at silencing voices raising questions over the government's welfare promises, the DSC teacher recruitment issue, Amaravati, the state's debt and alleged governance failures and harassment.

"The police uniform is meant to protect the law, not to enforce your political censorship. Dragging the name of a foreign investigating agency into a political takedown operation has disgraced Andhra Pradesh and severely damaged the credibility of its police force," he said.

Reddy said the government's efforts should instead be focused on fulfilling welfare commitments, supporting farmers amid drought-like conditions, creating jobs and promoting development.

He also said social media had made it difficult for governments to "hide behind curated narratives".

"If this government is confident in its record, it should answer criticism with performance and transparency and not with censorship and harassment," he said.

There was no immediate reaction from the TDP or the Andhra Pradesh Police to Reddy's allegations.