A case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act was registered against the son of Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar in Hyderabad on Saturday, following allegations of sexual harassment of a minor girl. The accused has denied the charges and filed a counter-complaint alleging extortion and criminal intimidation by the teenager and her parents.
According to the 17-year-old girl’s mother, Bhageerath, the minister’s son, sexually harassed her daughter, with whom he had allegedly been in a relationship for approximately seven to eight months. The police are yet to record the girl’s statement; she is currently a student.
In a separate complaint filed with the police in Karimnagar, Bhageerath alleged that the girl had initiated contact with him and invited him to family functions and social gatherings. An FIR was registered on the basis of his complaint.
Bhageerath stated that, trusting the girl’s family, he had accompanied them on outings and visits to places of religious significance as part of a group of friends. He alleged that the girl and her parents subsequently pressured him to marry her, and when he declined, demanded money, threatening to file false complaints if he failed to pay. He further alleged that he paid Rs 50,000 to the girl’s father under duress, but that the family then demanded Rs 5 crore, with the girl’s mother threatening to take her own life if he did not comply.
