This is Bandi Bageerath
The son of Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay, who is also the former Telangana BJP chief.
On May 8, Bageerath was booked by the Petbasheerabad Police Station in Cyberabad for allegedly sexually harassing a minor.
For the first two days, the police showed no sign of budging.
As the pressure mounted, Telangana DGP CV Anand finally said the police hadn’t been able to act because they were tied up with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit.
As expected, once the complaint became public, it quickly turned into a political slugfest.
On one side, there is the police that hesitated.
And on the other, a massive campaign to malign the girl and her family.
“They were friends.”
“The family knew Bageerath.”
“It’s a honey trap.”
“Why did they keep meeting again and again?”
Telugu social media has been flooded with terrible takes like these.
Many have even openly revealed the girl’s identity.
Let Me Explain why these arguments are deeply problematic.
Here at The News Minute, we take reporting on sexual offences seriously.
Whether it is Prajwal Revanna, Hathras, the actor assault case in Kerala, Nandini’s murder in Ariyalur, or Sowjanya’s case in Karnataka, we have followed these stories consistently and critically.
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The case against BJP leader Bandi Sanjay’s son Bageerath was booked on May 8 at 10 pm.
Remember this timestamp: 10 pm. I will come back to it later.
Bageerath was booked under Section 74 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for assault or criminal force against a woman.
And under three sections- one under BNS and two under POCSO for sexual harassment
These are smaller offences and the police could have still arrested him after following procedures under Section 35 of the BNSS.
But that did not happen.
Was it because of who he is?
Or was it because, as the DGP claimed, the police force was occupied with PM Modi’s visit?
It was only on May 12, exactly four days later, that Bageerath was booked under more serious charges of rape.
Why this delay?
Did the police officer who took the complaint fail to insist on all the details initially?
Now let’s come back to that timestamp. 10 pm.
My colleague Jahnavi spoke to a person helping the family file the complaint. According to him, they reached the police station around 7.30 pm and waited there till midnight, but no FIR was registered in front of them.
It was only the next day, May 9, that they came to know an FIR had finally been filed.
But along with that came another shock.
An FIR had already been filed against the girl and her parents at Karimnagar police station
This is because Bageerath filed a complaint accusing them of intimidating him into marriage and trying to extort money from him.
Now I will make no comments on either FIR or on which allegations are true or false.
But remember this carefully: the son of a Union minister is claiming he paid Rs 50,000 out of fear to the family of a girl whose family is allegedly involved in the real estate business.
So how did this FIR get registered at 5.30 pm?
The person helping the girl’s family alleges that this complaint may have been filed in a hurry after the girl’s mother approached the police station, and that the timing may have been backdated to make it appear that Bageerath complained first.
Did the police help in any way?- This allegation must be investigated by the Congress government in Telangana-
Bageerath’s complaint also contains another strange claim.
It says his friends had faced similar issues with the same girl and that another complaint had been filed against her in Nirmal district.
We checked with Nirmal police. No such complaint exists. No FIR was registered.
So why was this claim included in the complaint?
Whatever the reasons, it has now helped create a narrative.
A narrative that social media influencers can weaponise while slut shaming a minor.
“Oh look, she has done this to other men too.”
Bageerath’s lawyer has also argued in court that the girl is not a minor but an adult.
If that is true, it is for the police to establish.
But as of now, her parents have submitted documents claiming she is a minor, which is why POCSO charges have been invoked.
Now let me move to the media.
Most mainstream media outlets in Telangana initially ignored the story completely.
“BJP leader Bandi Sanjay’s son accused of harassing a minor” never became a screaming headline.
It was mainly alternative media that pursued the story.
And eventually, political pressure also mounted on Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.
But while mainstream media stayed largely silent, a battalion of social media influencers and people claiming to be journalists began targeting the girl and her family.
So let me say this as clearly as possible.
Revealing the identity of a victim is a crime. Yet many have done exactly that.
Some circulated her visuals.
Others showed her parents.
Even identifying her parents is a crime under POCSO
Then came the commentary.
“They were friends.”
“Why did she meet him again?”
“This is a honey trap.”
Here is what years of crime data clearly shows: in the overwhelming majority of sexual assault cases, the accused is someone known to the victim.
In 2024, in 96.6% of POCSO rape cases, the accused was known to the child. This is National Crime Records Bureau data
Family Friends/Neighbors/Employer - 38%
Friends/Online-Friends or Live in Partners on Pretext of Marriage - 51%
In Telangana, that number was 99.9%.
Out of 2,076 POCSO cases in the state, only two involved strangers.
And when it comes to adult women, the numbers are no different.
In 96.8% of rape cases, the accused was known to the woman.
Ask any woman who has experienced abuse, harassment, or assault.
Many continue speaking to the abuser.
Meeting them.
Existing in the same spaces.
Pretending everything is normal.
Out of fear.
Pressure.
Manipulation.
Confusion.
Or because life gives them no easy escape.
None of this proves guilt.
None of this proves innocence either.
That is for an investigation and the courts to determine.
But when a complaint is filed against the son of a union minister, the role of journalism is not to run background music, moral-police a minor, or assist social media mobs in intimidation.
The role of journalism is to ask questions.
Why was there a delay from the police?
Was pressure exerted?
Did the police follow procedure?
Was the victim protected?
It is also okay to ask questions to the complainant and family if needed, but that doesn’t need to involve slut shaming
The media cannot become a participant in intimidation.
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