Hyderabad: Posters asking the public to help trace Bandi Sai Bageerath have gone up across Hyderabad as the son of Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar remains absconding in a POCSO case. The posters, pasted on walls and public spaces in localities including Serilingampally and Nallakunta, have created a political sensation across the state.
A group of people was also seen carrying similar posters inside the metro, asking commuters to report him if spotted.
They came days after a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) case was registered against Bandi Sai Bageerath, son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case has confirmed that Bageerath’s mobile phone has been switched off for the past several days and that he is absconding. An extensive search operation has been launched to locate him.
Charges upgraded to aggravated sexual assault
In a significant development on Tuesday, the Petbasheerabad Police upgraded the charges against Bageerath from sexual harassment of a child under Section 11 of the POCSO Act, which covers non-physical acts involving sexual intent, to aggravated penetrative sexual assault under Section 5(I) read with Section 6.
The upgraded charge, one of the most serious under the POCSO Act, carries a minimum sentence of 20 years’ rigorous imprisonment, extendable to life imprisonment or death, and is a non-bailable offence. The charge revision reflects the survivor’s statement recorded by investigators, which reportedly went significantly beyond the original FIR.
The case was registered on May 8 at the Petbasheerabad Police Station after the family of a 17-year-old girl alleged that Bageerath had made the victim consume alcohol and sexually assaulted her at a farmhouse on the outskirts of Hyderabad on two separate occasions.
The SIT issued a notice summoning Bageerath to appear for questioning on Wednesday, May 13, at 2 pm. The notice was received at his residence by his maternal uncle, Vamshi Krishna, as Bageerath was not present. Meanwhile, Bageerath has filed a petition in the Telangana High Court seeking anticipatory bail. His counsel’s central legal argument in the petition was based on the original, lesser charges, which the upgrade has now dismantled.
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy responded to the case by directing the Director General of Police (DGP) CV Anand to take immediate action and form special investigation teams. DGP Anand subsequently deputed Kukatpally Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Ritiraj to take the victim’s statement, and told the media that the accused would be arrested once found.
Counter complaint, political row
The Telangana State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (TSCPCR) has written to Hyderabad Commissioner of Police VC Sajjanar seeking suo-motu action. The TSCPCR Chairperson said a special bench would take up the case after receiving details from the police.
Bageerath, meanwhile, had filed a counter-complaint at the Two Town Police Station in Karimnagar, alleging extortion and intimidation by the girl and her family. He claimed the girl’s family had demanded Rs 5 crore and threatened to file false complaints when he refused to marry her.
The case has triggered a political storm. BRS Working President KT Rama Rao demanded Bandi Sanjay’s removal from office and questioned why the accused had not been interrogated, mocking the BJP’s Beti Bachao slogan by saying it had become “Beta Bhagao, Beta Bachao.”
BRS women leaders called on the TSCPCR, demanding Bageerath’s immediate arrest and his father’s suspension. The party also approached the Telangana State Women’s Commission, alleging that police deliberately diluted the initial charges and acted swiftly on the accused’s counter-complaint while shielding him from action.
Bandi Sanjay, addressing a rally in Karimnagar, said that if his son was found guilty, the law would take its course, adding that he was not one to seek different standards of justice for his own family.
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