Published May 15, 2026 | 9:02 PM ⚊ Updated May 15, 2026 | 9:02 PM
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, and Bageerath (right) with his father, Minister Bandi Sanjay.
Synopsis: Assuring that the government will stand by the survivor and her family, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy said the case involved the future of two children, and hence, the police have been moving cautiously. However, he added that the police could be aggressive if the situation so demands.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Friday, 15 May, advised Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar to personally turn his son — accused of sexually exploiting a minor — over to the police.
Refuting allegations of police delaying the investigation, Reddy said honest officers were probing the case, and urged Union Minister Bandi Sanjay to face the investigation with courage.
“I am advising Bandi Sanjay to immediately bring his son and surrender him before the police himself. It will actually increase his respect in society. Let the investigation proceed. Honest officers are handling it, so face the inquiry courageously. Running away is not the answer. Public representatives should set an example,” he said in a conversation with Way2News, a vernacular news app.
The minister’s son, Bandi Sai Bageerath, has been booked under the POCSO Act and BNS. Reddy said he was absconding.
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Reiterating the earlier police version that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Hyderabad warranted the deployment of a large number of personnel to his venues, the chief minister said the entire force of the commissionerate had to be deployed for the Prime Minister’s security.
“We had to provide security with nearly 10,000 police personnel on the 9th and 10th (of May). The Prime Minister did not attend just one programme; he attended six,” Reddy said.
He added that the entire police system had to be deployed continuously for four days.
“Practically the entire force of the commissionerate was deployed there for the Prime Minister’s security. You know what can happen if even a small mistake occurs. Hyderabad is a highly sensitive city. Whenever ISI-linked incidents happen anywhere in the country, at times, the roots are traced back to Hyderabad. So we took the Prime Minister’s visit extremely seriously,” he informed.
Reddy, who holds the Home portfolio, said the police were totally occupied on 10 May. “By the 11th morning, after reviewing the matter, I appointed a woman IPS officer and directed a detailed investigation. Police teams were sent not only to Bandi Sanjay’s house but also to his relatives’ houses in Delhi,” he said.
Also Read: Women and trans persons’ body demands immediate arrest of Bageerath
The chief minister denied any lapses on the part of the police. On the night of the 8th (of May), around 7:30 or 8 pm, the girl’s mother went to the Pet-Basheerabad police station and lodged a complaint saying, ‘There has been a sexual assault on my daughter, please register a case.’ Within an hour, we booked a POCSO case and recorded the mother’s statement,” he claimed.
Reddy confirmed that a complaint against the girl’s family was lodged at the Karimnagar police station some two hours before the mother approached the Pet-Basheerabad police.
“Once a complaint is received, the survivor’s statement has to be recorded within 24 hours. Here, the girl is a minor. How do we establish that she is a minor? We immediately went to the girl, recorded her statement, and altered the relevant sections in the case.
The accused has claimed that the survivor was not a minor.
The chief minister further stated that the police have been acting according to the law. “Suppose we had acted recklessly, stormed into the (accused’s) house with a thousand policemen, then what would you say? You would call it a political vendetta. You yourselves would say that because the Prime Minister’s meeting was successful, Revanth Reddy got the BJP leaders attacked using the police and targeted Bandi Sanjay,” he said.
Reddy said his government was committed to acting fairly, irrespective of the status of the accused or the individual’s political affiliation.
To a pointed question, the chief minister assured that offenders in any case would be punished. “Whoever the culprits are, it is my responsibility to ensure they are punished 100 percent. I am not only the Home Minister, but I am also the Chief Minister. I am proceeding lawfully. If I wanted to help someone, would I have registered a POCSO case in the first place?” he asked.
He further explained the procedure the police had followed. “Sometimes, minors fall in love, and parents may not like it. Sometimes parents react emotionally and put pressure in different ways. The government has to ascertain the truth. Before the Prime Minister’s visit, two complaints had been made. On one side, Bandi Sanjay’s family alleged it was a honey-trap case. On the other side, there was a complaint alleging sexual assault on a minor girl. The police need at least 24 hours to examine both complaints,” he said.
On the public uproar over the case, Reddy asked whether he should get Bandi Sanjay arrested. “Where exactly has the government diluted the case? Tell me this: if a son commits a crime, do you arrest the father? Should Bandi Sanjay be arrested because of allegations against his son? What exactly do people want?” he questioned.
The chief minister also dismissed BRS leader and former IPS officer RS Praveen Kumar’s allegation that the police were threatening the girl’s family. He said the police would not have registered a case under the POCSO Act if they wanted to threaten the complainant. He added that Kumar, KT Rama Rao and Bandi Sanjay might be locked in a political dispute, which has nothing to do with the case.
Reddy said the case involved the future of children. “Even a small mistake during the investigation can destroy the lives of both the girl and the boy involved. There are allegations that there are two different birth certificates and two different dates of birth for the girl. We have to ascertain the facts. We have to visit the school, collect the Class 10 certificate, obtain the hospital birth certificate, and collect Aadhaar details,” he explained the process.
He added that the investigation would take time since the alleged incidents had happened before 31 December 2025. “If complaints are filed months after the alleged incidents, it takes time to gather evidence,” he said.
The chief minister assured that his government would stand by the survivor. “There is no exemption for Bandi Sanjay or anyone else. Since this concerns children, we are handling it carefully and cautiously. No accused person will escape. I assure the victim’s family that this government will stand firmly with victims and punish the guilty.”
Also Read: POCSO sections against Bandi Bageerath revised
Reddy advised Bandi Sanjay to shoulder the moral responsibility and produce his son before the police. Bageerath’s actions have now put Bandi Sanjay in an embarrassing position, the chief minister said.
“Bandi Sanjay rose through hard work from the level of a party worker. Due to his son’s actions, he is now facing embarrassment. But as a responsible public representative, he must stand up and answer whether his son is right or wrong. He cannot escape that responsibility,” Reddy opined.
Referring to Bageerath requesting more time to appear before the investigators, Reddy said two days’ delay would not benefit him.
“The police will proceed aggressively if required. We have already issued notices and given them time to respond. If they do not respond within that period, the police will act accordingly. Delaying by two days will not benefit them in any way. If they stand firm and face the investigation, at least their political respect may remain intact,” the chief minister added.
