KTR demands Bandi Sanjay’s dismissal to ensure impartial investigation in POCSO case

BRS working president KT Rama Rao demanded the removal of Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar from the Union Cabinet, alleging interference in the POCSO case involving his son. He also accused BJP and Congress leaders of trying to suppress the issue

Hyderabad: BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Sunday demanded the immediate removal of Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar from the Union Cabinet to ensure a fair and impartial investigation into the POCSO case involving his son Bandi Sai Bageerath. He said as long as Bandi Sanjay remained in office, the investigation could not be transparent and independent.

Addressing the party gathering in LB Nagar, Rama Rao said it was perhaps unprecedented in India for a lookout notice to be issued against the son of a sitting Union Minister. “Who protected him for nine days while he was absconding? That question must be answered,” he said.

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The BRS working president said far from distancing himself from the case, Bandi Sanjay had personally threatened and intimidated the victim’s parents. “The Union Minister’s son committed an injustice against a minor girl, and the Union Minister himself went after her family. Allowing such a person to continue in a constitutional position is an insult not just to Telangana but to the entire country,” he said.

Calling out Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” campaign, Rama Rao said such slogans were meaningless if those in power shielded the accused instead of protecting the victim. He said justice could not be achieved if such slogans remained merely political rhetoric.

He warned that unless influential individuals were held accountable, women and minor girls would be discouraged from reporting abuse in the future. “Society must not send the message that influential individuals are above the law,” he said.

The BRS working president trained guns on the Congress government, accusing Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy of attempting to dilute the gravity of the case. He said both the BJP and Congress colluded to suppress the issue by branding it a “honey trap” and influencing sections of the media to limit coverage.

He praised the victim’s mother and her family for refusing to yield despite sustained pressure from both State and Central leaders. “Their historic courage in standing firm when everyone was pushing back deserves the respect of society,” he remarked.

Appreciating the role of the party cadre, Rama Rao credited BRS women leaders, student organisations and social media activists for keeping public pressure alive. He said the women’s wing had protested across Telangana, approached the Women’s Commission and the DGP, and demonstrated at Dr B R Ambedkar’s statue demanding justice. He also appreciated BRS general secretary RS Praveen Kumar for his sustained efforts in supporting the victim’s family.

He stated that due to the collective struggle and sustained pressure by BRS cadre, women leaders, student activists and the public, the accused was forced to surrender and was arrested, bringing at least some hope of justice for the victim.