Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Saturday claimed that his son Bandi Bhagirath has surrendered before the police. There was a possibility of Bhagirath fleeing abroad after not getting relief from the High Court in the POCSO case. Due to this, Cyberabad Police had issued a Look-Out Circular (LOC) against Bhagirath. Before his alleged surrender before the police, continuous raids were going on in search of Bhagiratha.
However, Cyberabad Police Commissioner Ramesh has rejected the talk of surrender. He said that the police has arrested Bhagiratha. According to news agency ANI, he said, “Prisoner Bhagirath, accused in the Petbasirabad POCSO case, has been arrested from the outskirts of Hyderabad city. He is being taken to the police station for further legal proceedings. This was not surrender.”
Telangana High Court had refused to give relief
A day after the Telangana High Court refused to grant interim relief to POCSO case accused Bhagiratha, his father, prisoner Sanjay Kumar, on Saturday said that he has asked his son to appear before the police and cooperate in the investigation. After surrender, captive Sanjay has described Bhagirath’s move as a symbol of his respect for the law and his faith in the justice system.
What did prisoner Sanjay Kumar say on the surrender of his son?
“In connection with the allegations against his son and respecting the law, Bhagiratha has been handed over to the police through lawyers,” the Union minister said in a post on X. Everyone is equal before the law, whether it is his son or a common citizen, and everyone should follow the law.” Earlier, the Telangana BJP leader had claimed that his family was being targeted and defamed.
“After consulting legal experts and placing before them the evidence available to us, we were advised that the matter would be appropriately disposed of through the legal process,” he said. Court proceedings are ongoing and orders are expected next week. Despite the advice of our legal team, I felt that we should not hesitate to cooperate with the investigation. I have full faith in the justice system. Justice may be delayed, but justice cannot be denied.
The reason for appearing late before the police was also given.
Earlier in a statement, prisoner Sanjay had said that he had asked his son to cooperate with the police immediately after the complaint was filed last week. However, the Union Minister said that Bhagirath, who has repeatedly maintained that he has done no wrong, presented evidence in his favor before his lawyers. According to detainee Sanjay, the lawyers believed that the case would be dismissed and Bhagirath would get bail, which led to the delay in appearing before the police.
What was the matter?
A case was registered on May 8 under relevant sections of the Indian Justice Code (BNS) and POCSO Act based on a complaint lodged by the mother of a 17-year-old minor girl. The complaint alleged that Bhagirath had an affair with his daughter and sexually assaulted her. After recording the statement of the victim, the police registered a case in the case under more stringent sections of the POCSO Act.