BRS Leader Demands Explanation for Delayed POCSO Registration Against Minister's Son

Hyderabad: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi's General Secretary R.S. Praveen Kumar has publicly challenged the apparent delay in lodging a POCSO case against the son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay, during remarks made at Telangana Bhavan on Saturday.

The opposition leader drew attention to allegations stemming from an incident involving a 17-year-old girl. According to Praveen Kumar's statement, the accused is alleged to have compelled the minor to consume alcohol before committing sexual assault. He questioned why the police had not moved swiftly to register the case.

Praveen Kumar rejected suggestions that the accused harboured any fear of the teenager. He pointed to a pattern of prior incidents at Mahindra University, noting that two separate FIRs had been registered against the accused in connection with student assault cases.

"How is it plausible that someone with this history would be intimidated by a 17-year-old girl," the BRS leader posed.

The opposition politician also alleged involvement of a former television journalist who subsequently joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. According to Praveen Kumar, this individual attempted to influence the matter by meeting the girl's parents at a police station late Friday evening and persuading them to retract their complaint.

Praveen Kumar further asserted that the Union Minister leveraged his position to facilitate the filing of a counter-case against the girl in April. He contended that the accused made a false claim in his FIR, stating he had transferred Rs 50,000 to the girl's family.

The BRS leader also took issue with the legal provisions invoked in the case. He pointed out that Sections 74 and 75 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 11 and 12 of the POCSO Act provide relatively lenient penalties and facilitate station bail. Praveen Kumar argued that the selection of these sections demonstrated inadequate treatment of the matter and conveyed a troubling message about how authorities view such offences.

As of the time of these statements, neither the Union Minister nor his son has issued any public comment addressing the allegations.