Hyderabad: On Sunday (May 10), while Prime Minister Narendra Modi was addressing a public meeting of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers in Hyderabad, the party was being rocked by a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, registered just two days earlier against Bandi Sai Bageerath, son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar.Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy intervened in the matter, summoning Director General of Police (DGP) C.V. Anand, reportedly for first-hand information on the investigation. On Reddy’s instructions, the DGP constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by IPS officer Ritiraj, the Deputy Commissioner of Police of Kukatpally.The SIT has been tasked with conducting a thorough probe into a complaint, filed on May 8, by a 17-year-old girl’s mother alleging sexual abuse by Bageerath at a farmhouse in Moinabad, on the outskirts of Hyderabad, on December 31 last year. A counter-complaint has also been filed by Bageerath against the girl and her family.Details of the complaintsThe complainant states her daughter was forced to consume alcohol despite having resisted. She further alleged that Bageerath entered her room and behaved inappropriately, forcing her to stay at the farmhouse overnight with five other boys and two girls. The woman said in her complaint that her daughter was induced into a “relationship” with Bageerath through mutual contacts six months earlier.According to the complaint, Bageerath gave the girl assurances that he would marry her once she turned 18. Before the farmhouse incident, he allegedly took the girl to private locations, including residential premises, and subjected her to “sexual and physical abuse”, the complaint states.A week later, he abruptly terminated the relationship and refused to take responsibility for his actions, says the complaint. “As a direct consequence of sustained abuse and abandonment, my daughter suffered severe emotional trauma and attempted self-harm on January 19 and 26,” it says. “When we initiated steps to seek legal remedy in March, we began receiving calls and indirect pressure to withdraw the matter,” the mother wrote in a letter sent to Pet Basheerabad police station, in whose jurisdiction the family resides at Kompally.On the same day (May 8), Bageerath lodged a complaint at Two Town police station in Karimnagar, saying the woman, her husband and daughter developed “friendly relations with me and my group of friends”. It says he “travelled with them and other friends to Vijayawada temple, Arunachalam temple and Tirumala temple as part of the friends group”.“After a period of time, their behaviour changed, and the parents called me and began pressuring and intimidating me to marry their daughter. Upon my refusal, they threatened to file false criminal complaints against me, including allegations of harassment and physical relationship. They have also demanded substantial sums of money from me and in fear I have given his father a sum of Rs 50,000 and requested him to leave me alone.“Post that, the parents have been continuously subjecting me to mental harassment and coercion by stating that the woman (girl’s mother) would commit suicide if I didn’t pay them rupees five crore,” Bageerath’s complaint claims.Bageerath has alleged a preexisting dispute between the girl’s family and his friends, which he says led to a case being registered at Nirmal police station in April. However, the girl’s family has cited this complaint as false in its May 8 letter to authorities at the Pet Basheerabad station.On the woman’s complaint, the Pet Basheerabad police booked a case against Bageerath under Section 74 (punishment for assault or criminal force against a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty) and Section 75 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (addresses the offence of sexual harassment, specifying acts that qualify as unwelcome) and Section 11 read with Section 12 of POCSO Act (dealing with sexual harassment of a child).At the same time, a case was registered against the family of the girl at Karimnagar, under sections 308 of BNS (extortion) and 351 (criminal intimidation) on Bageerath’s complaint.Police actionIn view of the severity of the charges levelled by both sides and the anticipated political backlash, chief minister Reddy reportedly asked the DGP to leave no room for negligence in the investigation. He has also insisted on receiving details of the progress made in the case on a daily basis.On Tuesday (May 12), under the supervision of Ritiraj, the CCTV footage of locations allegedly visited by the girl and Bageerath was collected.The chief minister has reportedly instructed the DGP to constitute special teams for a comprehensive investigation into the case, as the matter took on a political colour.Meanwhile, DCP Ritiraj said on Tuesday, as per a report in NDTV, “If the offence [against Bageerath] is established, we will arrest him. We are collecting details about the accused through Call Detail Record (CDR) and other methods. Once identified, he will be taken into custody. This is a registered POCSO case, and it is our duty to ensure justice for the victim. We are verifying all details in the complaint and conducting a thorough investigation.”Political allegationsMinister Bandi Sanjay Kumar has claimed the charges against his son were a “conspiracy” against him, hatched by his political rivals. He said he had faith in the justice system. “Time will answer every allegation and expose every conspiracy,” he wrote on X on May 9, before Modi’s visit and linking the two events. “It is evident that this is a political hit job aimed at maligning me personally ahead of tomorrow’s public meeting of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji,” he said, adding, “Some forces unable to digest the elevation of a backward classes leader as a Union Minister targeted me on the eve of Modi’s visit.”After the case against Bageerath was registered, BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao wrote on X:Is it the first time in the history of our country that the son of a Union Home Minister is absconding?#BetiBachao #POCSO— KTR (@KTRBRS) May 11, 2026He was writing in response to reports that Bageerath is absconding since the case against him was registered. Bageerath’s lawyers moved Telangana High Court on Tuesday (May 12) seeking anticipatory bail for him. It has been posted for hearing on Thursday (May 14).Another BRS leader and former minister T. Harish Rao alleged that a POCSO accused had been allowed to go scot-free four days after a case was booked against him. He alleged the SIT was set up to dilute the case owing to pressure from the Union government.BJP state president N. Ramchander Rao told mediapersons that the issue was a “family matter” and the party had nothing to do with it and Bandi Sanjay had no connection with it. He said the law would take its own course. He told The Wire that the central leadership of the BJP was silent on the incidents so far. He said opposition parties were “unnecessarily making it an issue”.The women’s wing as well as students’ wing of BRS staged protests at Pet Basheerabad police station and the DGP’s office.The POCSO case is the second major controversy involving Bageerath that has embarrassed minister Bandi Sanjay. Three years ago, Bageerath had allegedly assaulted a batchmate on the Mahindra University campus. Bandi Sanjay was state president of BJP at the time. It was alleged at the time that the dispute stemmed from the stalking of a woman related to one of Bageerath’s friends.In a video of the incident that went viral, Bageerath was seen slapping and abusing a man. The university had suspended him but the decision was stayed by the high court. He was allowed to appear for his exams after he claimed he was not given a chance to explain himself before the suspension. The victim later told a Lok Adalat that he did not want to pursue the case against Bageerath.Adding to the tumult since May 8, enraged BJP supporters of Bandi Sanjay vandalised the camp office of Karimnagar MLA and Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) leader Gangula Kamalakar. The windshield of a car belonging to another BRS MLA, Padi Kaushik Reddy, was smashed in the incident. The police had to lock Kaushik Reddy in a room to shield him from an irate mob. The incident followed a personal remark made by Reddy about the Union minister, unrelated to the case against his son.