As son Bageerath faces serious non-bailable charges related to a minor’s sexual assault, father Bandi Sanjay Kumar turned his Hanuman Jayanti yatra into a platform to vent his spleen against political rivals.

Hyderabad: Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar led a massive procession through Karimnagar town on Hanuman Jayanti on the evening of Tuesday (May 12), comparing himself with Hanuman from the epic Ramayana and promising vengeance against those who “dragged his family into the streets”. Meanwhile, Telangana Police elevated the criminal charges against his son, Bandi Sai Bageerath, to aggravated sexual assault.

Charges were first registered against Bageerath under the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 on May 8, on the complaint of a woman whose 17-year-old daughter alleges he befriended her, entered into an intimate relationship with her on the promise of marriage, and later denied the association.

The incident has kicked up a political storm in the state, setting alarm bells ringing in the chief minister’s office. Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has sought daily personal reports into the police’s investigation and earlier set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by a senior woman officer Ritiraj, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, to probe the charges.

On May 12, as the probe threw up CCTV records and other details amid a thicket of allegations against the pace of the five-day-old investigation as well as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Bandi Sanjay Kumar’s party, the Pet Basheerabad police in Hyderabad added charges of aggravated penetrative sexual assault to the list of Bageerath’s alleged offences.

The police are also investigating a counter-case filed by Bageerath against the woman, her daughter (the minor survivor) and her father, in which he claims the allegations mask an extortion bid.

The rally and speeches

Amidst this flurry of developments, Bageerath’s father, a junior minister in the Modi Cabinet, spewed fire as he rode through the town on an open SUV, flanked by crowds of supporters and religious figures. He expressed vengence against those who had, he claimed, dragged his family’s name into the streets, and directed his anger against the Reddy government.

“I will set fire to the lobbying, corrupt, family-led and illegal regime in Telangana after a statewide tour,” said the minister, adding, “No one who has conspired to drag my family into the streets will be spared.”

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar’s supporters at the Hanuman Jayanti rally in Karimnagar, Telangana on Tuesday, May 12 . Photo: By arrangement.

‘Jai Shri Ram’, ‘Jai BJP’, ‘Jai Modi’ and ‘Jai Bandi Sanjay’ echoed through the streets as the processsion of thousands carrying saffron flags made its way. Bandi Sanjay had been organising the Hindu Ekta Yatra in Karimnagar town, which is in his parliamentary constituency of Karimnagar, for the past 16 years.

During the yatra, Bandi Sanjay said there was no question he was scared by “conspiracies” against him as long as he carried the saffron flag and enjoyed divine blessings.

Revised charges against Bageerath

The police have added Section 5(1) and Section 6 of the POCSO Act to the case against Bageerath after the SIT led by DCP Ritiraj recorded the girl’s statement a second time on Tuesday (May 12). The first statement was recorded at the time of registering the case, on May 8.

The new charges apply in casess of penetrative assault by a person in a position of trust, authority or guardianship over a child and mandate more stringent penalties, including higher punishments if the assaults were repeated.

Earlier, the police had invoked sections 11 and 12 of the POCSO Act, which deal with sexual harassment of a child. That charge no longer stands. Sections 74 and 75 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against Bageerath remain unchanged, sources said.

The minister’s explanation

Bandi Sanjay Kumar’s yatra was a moment for the minister to level allegations against alleged conspirators who have “dared him”. He dedicated almost his entire speech on Hanuman Jayanti to discuss the case against Bageerath, turning the occasion into a platform to vent his spleen against political rivals.

“You have upset my supporters. You have put my party in a tight spot. You will perish in the fire you yourselves lit, like Hanuman did to Lanka,” he said.

He said his son was liable to punishment if he was guilty because everyone was equal before the law, while adding that he always considered society his “extended family” and, therefore, conducted 1,600-kilometre padayatras for 150 days to share in the public’s joys and sorrows.

“But,” he said, “I neglected my son and my family by not giving them time. The fault lies with me. I committed a mistake.” Sanjay said he owed society an apology because it hurts any father when their son is identified as a criminal.

He said Bageerath had told him he never committed the alleged crimes. “‘We were friends and separated later. I will come out clean’, were his words,” Bandi Sanjay Kumar said.

The minister said everyone was equal in the eyes of law, so there could not be double standards in justice delivery.

He said his wife stayed at home and helped his supporters and was “crying and going into depression”. “How can any woman tolerate direct or indirect attacks on her family?” he said.

Where is Bageerath?

Meanwhile, Bageerath failed to turn up for a scheduled interrogation at the Pet Basheerabad station after a notice was served on him on Tuesday. Sources said he was awaiting the outcome of an anticipatory bail moved by him in the Telangana High Court, which will come up for hearing on Thursday (May 14).

Bageerath’s petition questions the girl’s age, citing an alleged 2021 case in which her age was recorded as 15 and she was booked for driving without a license as she was below 18.

Bageerath reportedlty apprehends imminent arrest as the sections invoked against him were non-bailable and the matter has become politically charged.

Telangana Rakshana Samiti president K. Kavitha demanded lookout notices for Bageerath, based on reports that he was “absconding”. The Bharat Rashtra Samiti has accused Bandi Sanjay of putting obstacles in the path of the investigation, using his clout as a minister. The Congress party has also thrown its weight behind the victim girl.

Backward Classes Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar has assured the government would deal with gendered crimes with a firm hand. He had earlier asked Bandi Sanjay Kumar to cooperate in the investigation against Bageerath. Women’s organisations staged a demonstration at the Pet Basheerabad police station demanding Bageerath’s arrest and called for the dismissal of Bandi Sanjay from the Union Cabinet.

This article went live on May thirteenth, two thousand twenty six, at fifty-one minutes past six in the evening.

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