Bandi Bhageerath, son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar, has been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, following allegations by a 17-year-old girl that she was sexually assaulted by him at a farmhouse in Moinabad near Hyderabad. An FIR was registered by Petbasheerabad police on 8 May 2026, with the girl’s family alleging that the assault took place during a visit to a farmhouse on 31 December 2025.
Hours earlier on the same day the complaint was registered, Bhageerath lodged a separate complaint at the Karimnagar Town-I police station alleging blackmail and extortion by the girl’s family. Both cases are being investigated separately.
Police said the complainant was a minor and the case was booked under relevant provisions of the POCSO Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
According to the complaint, Bhageerath allegedly pressured the girl into consuming alcohol at a farmhouse gathering where several others were present. The family alleged that between 1:30 am and 2:30 am, he entered the girl’s room and sexually assaulted her. The complaint further alleged that the accused later apologised through digital communication and acknowledged causing emotional distress.
The survivor’s family alleged that the teenager attempted self harm twice in January 2026 due to emotional trauma linked to the alleged abuse. The complaint also claimed that the family faced pressure and attempts to dissuade them after they began pursuing legal action.
Bhageerath lodged an FIR at Karimnagar Town-I police station accusing the girl’s family of harassment and blackmail. Based on his complaint, police registered a case under sections related to extortion, conspiracy and criminal intimidation under the BNS.
In his complaint, Bhageerath stated that he had become acquainted with the girl through common friends and had attended family gatherings, social events and temple visits with her family. He alleged that the girl’s parents later pressured him to marry her and threatened to implicate him in false cases after he refused.
He further claimed that the family demanded money from him and that he had paid ₹50,000 to the girl’s father out of fear. According to his complaint, the demands later escalated to ₹5 crore, accompanied by threats that the girl’s mother would die by suicide if the amount was not paid.
The controversy has rapidly escalated into a political flashpoint in Telangana, particularly because it emerged ahead of PM Modi’s visit to Hyderabad. Opposition parties, especially the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and Congress, have accused the BJP of attempting to shield the accused because of his political background.
Women protesters gathered outside Petbasheerabad police station demanding Bhageerath’s immediate arrest. Demonstrators carried banners and raised slogans calling for Bandi Sanjay’s resignation from the Union Cabinet. Protesters also questioned why no arrest had been made despite the registration of a POCSO case.
The BRS student wing, Bharat Rashtra Samithi Vidhyarthi, attempted to lay siege to the Director General of Police’s office in Hyderabad demanding immediate action. Several student leaders were detained during the protest.
BRS leaders alleged that both the BJP and the Congress government in Telangana were protecting the accused. Party working president KT Rama Rao questioned why the survivor’s family allegedly struggled for months before an FIR was registered and criticised the filing of a counter case against a minor girl.
Congress leaders also staged demonstrations demanding strict action. Telangana Mahila Congress president Errabelli Swarna alleged that ordinary citizens are arrested immediately in POCSO cases while action appeared delayed because the accused was the son of a Union Minister.
The BJP, however, has dismissed the allegations as politically motivated. Addressing party workers during PM Modi’s public meeting in Hyderabad on 10 May 2026, Bandi Sanjay said he would never do anything that would disgrace the BJP and accused political rivals of targeting his family because they could not challenge him politically.
“We are born from RSS ideology and raised to fight for the nation and dharma,” he said. “We are not afraid of empty threats. Do you think I am someone who gets scared easily?”
“I am not someone who entered politics using my father’s or grandfather’s name,” he added, urging party workers not to believe what he described as “false propaganda”.
The case has also revived scrutiny over Bhageerath’s earlier controversies. In 2023, he was booked in an assault case involving another student at Mahindra University near Hyderabad after videos of alleged campus violence surfaced online.
Meanwhile, political attention has also focused on the timing of the controversy. The allegations surfaced days before Modi’s Telangana visit, during a period when the BJP has been aggressively attempting to expand its political presence in the state.
Police officials said further investigation is underway in both cases and additional action will depend on the collection of evidence, witness examination and forensic findings.
[DS]
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