KTR accuses Congress, BJP of collusion in POCSO case; demands Bandi Sanjay’s resignation

BRS working president KT Rama Rao accused Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar of collusion in the POCSO case involving Bandi Sai Bageerath. He questioned the police investigation, demanded accountability, and alleged deterioration in law and order under the Congress government

Hyderabad: KT Rama Rao on Friday accused Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar of collusion to shield Bandi Sai Bageerath in the POCSO case. He demanded Bandi Sanjay’s immediate resignation to prevent him from influencing the investigation.

“The Chief Minister holds the Home portfolio. The accused’s father is the Union Minister of State for Home. The collusion in this case is plain to see,” he remarked.

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Addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan, Rama Rao posed a pointed question that he said the State had a right to know: where exactly was Bandi Sai Bageerath hiding for nine days after the case came to light, and who gave him refuge? “The accused was absconding for nine days. Who protected him? Who provided him shelter? These questions must be answered,” he said.

He charged that the police acted negligently because the accused was the son of a sitting Union Minister. He questioned whether the police would have treated the case similarly if it involved a common man. He also asked why charges were not pressed against Bandi Sanjay over allegations of threatening and intimidating the victim’s family. “A criminal is a criminal, irrespective of who they are,” he said.

The BRS working president ridiculed the DGP’s explanation that the registration of the case was delayed due to bandobast arrangements for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Hyderabad. “Does it mean criminals get a free hand whenever the Prime Minister visits the State?” he asked.

He thanked the Telangana High Court for denying bail to the accused and compelling his surrender. “If not for the High Court, the accused would not have been arrested and several girls would have lost faith in justice,” he said. He also flagged a contradiction in the official version, saying that while Bandi Sanjay claimed his son surrendered voluntarily, the police maintained that he was arrested.

Rama Rao said the BRS spoke with restraint on the issue as it involved a minor girl. He criticised sections of the Telugu media for remaining silent spectators while national outlets highlighted the case. He pointed out that cases were booked against 15 BJP leaders and supporters for revealing the victim’s identity on social media and condemned attempts by sections of the media to portray the victim negatively based on her age and an alleged honey-trap case filed against her.

Turning to the Chief Minister, Rama Rao accused Revanth Reddy of attempting to divert attention by alleging that drugs were found at his brother-in-law’s residence. He challenged the Chief Minister to produce evidence and register a case if the allegations were true, pointing out that the Excise Department itself had clarified that no drugs were recovered.

He recalled that TPCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud had challenged him to undergo a drug test during the Assembly session, which he had accepted, but the government never conducted it. He added that the BRS had acted against its own leaders and suspended former MLA Rohith Reddy in a narcotics-related case.

On the caste census, the BRS working president questioned the credibility of the State government’s survey, alleging that the reported BC population had dropped from 51 per cent to 46 per cent as per the survey. He said the Congress failed to implement its promise of 42 per cent reservation for Backward Classes and alleged that BC reservation in recent panchayat elections had been reduced from 27 per cent to 17.5 per cent.

Rama Rao feared that the mishandling of the POCSO case would discourage women and girls from approaching authorities for justice and said law and order in Telangana had broadly deteriorated under the Congress government. He appreciated BRS general secretary R S Praveen Kumar for persistently raising the issue and exposing the government’s failures in the POCSO case. He condemned the Chief Minister’s remarks against Praveen Kumar.

On cases pending against himself, he said he was prepared to face them legally. “I am not scared because none of us committed any crime,” he said.