The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) central leadership has sought a detailed report from its Telangana unit on the POCSO case registered against Bandi Sai Bageerath, son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar.
The move follows sustained media scrutiny and protests demanding Mr. Bageerath’s arrest. Party sources said the State unit has already submitted a comprehensive account of developments, including the complaint registered at the Pet Basheerabad police station under the Cyberabad Commissionerate, as well as a counter-complaint filed by Mr. Bageerath in Karimnagar.
According to a senior BJP functionary, the central leadership requested an objective, fact-based report on the episode. “All relevant details pertaining to both complaints have been shared with the leadership,” the source said.
The Telangana BJP has sought to distance itself from the controversy, describing it as a “family matter” and a “purely legal issue”. Party leaders have maintained that Mr. Sanjay Kumar has no connection to the allegations, emphasising that the law should take its course without political interference.
The case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act was registered following a complaint by the mother of a minor girl, who alleged that Mr. Bageerath sexually assaulted her daughter at a farmhouse in Moinabad on December 31, 2025.
Hours before the FIR was registered, Mr. Bageerath filed a complaint in Karimnagar alleging extortion and blackmail by the girl’s family. He claimed they demanded ₹5 crore and threatened to implicate him in a false case, adding that he had earlier paid ₹50,000 under duress.
Senior BJP leaders are learnt to have advised Mr. Sanjay Kumar to ensure his son cooperates fully with the investigation. “It would have been appropriate if he had appeared before the police for questioning,” a party leader said.
Party sources indicated that the central leadership is closely monitoring developments as the case continues to attract public and political attention in the State.
Published – May 15, 2026 08:34 pm IST
