Published May 15, 2026 | 6:47 PM ⚊ Updated May 15, 2026 | 6:47 PM
Police also warned that further violations would be prosecuted.
Synopsis: The Telangana Police have registered an FIR against social media accounts that shared identifying details of the survivor in the POCSO case against Bandi Sanjay Kumar’s son, Bandi Bagheerath. The action follows days of online circulation of photographs, videos and personal information about the minor and her parents, in gross violation of protections under the POCSO Act.
The Telangana Police have registered an FIR against social media accounts that doxxed the survivor in the POCSO case against Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar’s son, Bandi Bagheerath.
The FIR, registered under Section 74 of the Juvenile Justice Act, Section 72(1) of the BNS and Section 23 of the POCSO Act, comes days after social media accounts, including some run by journalists, circulated photographs, videos and other identifying details of the minor and her parents.
The action follows a complaint by the Chairperson of the Child Welfare Committee, Medchal-Malkajgiri district, over the circulation of the content.
In a statement issued on the evening of Friday, 15 May, the Station House Officer of the Pet-Basheerabad police station in Cyberabad said Instagram and Facebook account IDs, along with relevant URLs involved in circulating the content, had been identified.
“These have been forwarded to the concerned authorities for tracing the handlers of these accounts and bringing them to justice,” the statement said.
“Further, cases have been booked against the social media handlers who have published the photos, videos and information of victim child and her parents.”
Police also warned that further violations would be prosecuted.
“Revealing the identity or personal details of a girl child/victim and her family involved in POCSO cases causes severe emotional distress to the victim and constitutes a serious legal violation. Strict legal action will be taken against anyone involved in such acts,” the statement said.
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The FIR comes amid mounting criticism of the Telangana Police’s handling of the POCSO case registered on 8 May.
For more than a week, police said they were unable to trace Bandi Bagheerath and served notice through his uncle in Karimnagar, even though the minister’s residence in Banjara Hills is publicly known.
At the same time, social media accounts continued to target the survivor, forcing her mother to issue a five-page statement on the morning of Friday, 15 May, saying her daughter “deserves protection, dignity and a future free from public humiliation.”
“Never in our worst nightmares did we imagine that one day we would have to stand before society begging institutions to protect the child and hear our cries for justice. This statement is not issued out of revenge or publicity. It is issued because silence has become more painful than speaking,” she said.
(Edited by Dese Gowda with inputs from Sumit Jha)
