A political controversy erupted in Telangana after a POCSO case was registered against Sai Bhageerath, son of Union Minister Bandi Sanjay. The BRS demanded his dismissal and a CBI probe, while RS Praveen Kumar accused both BJP and Congress of shielding the accused.
Published Date – 9 May 2026, 08:18 PM
Hyderabad: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Telangana on Sunday, a political storm engulfed the Telangana BJP unit, pushing it into a corner after a POCSO case was registered against Sai Bhageerath, son of Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay, on Saturday. The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) mounted an all-out attack over the issue and demanded the dismissal of Bandi Sanjay from the Union Cabinet and a CBI probe into the whole episode, reminding the BJP that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who spoke highly of the ‘Beti Bachao’ andolan, must speak about the incident at the public meeting scheduled in Hyderabad on Sunday.
As the political heat escalated in the State capital, it was apparent that the BJP was caught in a pincer, but till late in the evening, the party maintained a studied silence on the issue. However, mysteriously, the name of Bandi Sanjay was dropped from the invitation issued by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas for the programme for dedication of the Malkapur Terminal project of the Indian Oil Corporation to the nation.
Among the list of speakers mentioned in the invite were Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, Union Ministers Hardeep Singh Puri, G Kishan Reddy, Suresh Gopi, Bhongir MP Ch Kiran Kumar Reddy and Munogode MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy. The omission of Union Minister Bandi Sanjay’s name was too conspicuous and was being interpreted as a last-minute effort to avoid any discomfiture to the visiting Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, BRS leader and former IPS officer RS Praveen Kumar mounted a scathing attack on Bandi Sanjay and also the Congress government on the issue. Building up the argument for the immediate dismissal of Union Minister Bandi Sanjay, Praveen Kumar argued that the victim and her parents had to wait for over eight hours at Petbasheerabad police station to get the complaint registered, while police officers in Karimnagar district readily issued an FIR based on a complaint of extortion filed by Sai Bhageerath against the minor girl and her parents.
Praveen Kumar pointed out that while the FIR in the Karimnagar case was released into the public domain immediately, Cyberabad commissionerate officials were silent on the case against the Union Minister’s son. He demanded that the statement of the victim and her parents be recorded by a magistrate. He said the lives of the complainant and her parents were under threat and the police would be held responsible if anything happened to them.
Praveen Kumar appealed to BJP women leaders to speak on the issue as the matter concerned the safety and security of nearly two crore women and girls in Telangana. He urged Bandi Sanjay to cooperate with the investigation by surrendering his son to Petbasheerabad police to facilitate the probe. He also pointed out that the sections of law invoked were very light and would ensure a ‘station bail’ for the accused, Sai Bhageerath. He pointed out that while the police chose to invoke lighter sections of law, they were coming down heavily in false cases registered against BRS leaders like Dileep Konatham and Manne Krishank.
Apprehending a threat to the life of the victim and her family members, Praveen Kumar recalled that BJP supporters attacked the DDCamp office of BRS MLA Gangula Kamalakar in Karimnagar and damaged the vehicle of BRS MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy last week. “When supporters of a Union Minister can attack an MLA’s office and damage another MLA’s car, there is every possibility of the victim being harmed,” he charged.
He also appealed to Telangana DGP CV Anand to direct the Karimnagar II Town and Pet Basheerabad police to preserve CCTV footage related to the case proceedings. He said destruction of evidence could help the accused escape punishment.
He further claimed that the victim’s mother accused Sai Bhageerath of physically assaulting her daughter on three occasions. He also alleged that the accused drugged and assaulted the girl on New Year’s night. Despite these allegations, he said the police delayed registering the complaint. The former IPS officer alleged that a journalist who recently joined the BJP tried to persuade the family to withdraw the case. He claimed the journalist also attempted to broker a compromise while the victim’s parents were at the police station on Friday night.
“All this happened despite the accused allegedly stating that he had paid Rs 50,000 to the victim’s family. If such a payment was made, its details should be disclosed. But the victim’s family should not be portrayed as extortionists,” he said.
RS Praveen Kumar further claimed that two anti-ragging complaints had earlier been registered against Sai Bhageerath at Mahindra University. “Can a 17-year-old girl and her family threaten the son of a Union Minister?” he asked.
Accusing Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy of shielding the Union Minister, he alleged that the charges in the case were diluted only after the intervention of the Chief Minister. “Revanth Reddy seeks CBI probes into the Kaleshwaram project and power purchase agreements, but remains silent in this case. The State government should constitute a Special Investigation Team to probe the matter,” he demanded.
The BRS leader also criticised BJP supporters on social media for allegedly running a campaign against the victim’s family by describing the incident as a “honey trap”. “A honey trap is used against spies or in matters related to national security. Bandi Sanjay’s son is not James Bond 007, but an accused,” RS Praveen Kumar said.
