The case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against Sai Bhagirath, the son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay, is now a test case for how Telangana deals with crimes against women and children. The case comes in the backdrop of the State government’s active initiatives to make online and offline spaces safer for women.

Earlier, when a government official was targeted by a ‘blind item’ in a news channel, the government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe it; a journalist of the TV channel was detained as a consequence of the move. Similarly, when an actress and her family were subjected to vicious online trolling and abuse, the police booked cases against 73 persons, and some of them have been arrested. Recently, a senior IPS officer went undercover and stood near a busy city junction at night, and at least 40 men tried to approach her. Further, data from the National Crime Records Bureau shows that there has been a 3.4% rise in registered cases of crime against women from 22,066 in 2022 to 24,495 in 2024 in Telangana.

In light of such incidents, the ‘Stand with Her’ initiative launched by the Chief Minister in March has mainstreamed conversation about casual sexism ranging from staring and stalking to sexist comments in the workplace. It has also opened up a role for men as allies in the effort to make society safer for women.

These steps show the seriousness with which the State is dealing with social and online harassment of women. In an age of AI bot-led attacks on women and systemic baiting and trolling by groups justifying rapists and molesters, the action of the Telangana government is timely. However, in spite of such measures, the Chief Minister had to step in and ask why no action has been initiated in the case of the Union Minister’s son even though the complaint was lodged on May 8.

This is the rub — the challenge to deal with both the powerful and the powerless in the same way under the law. A day after reports of the POCSO case surfaced, women’s groups and political parties have hit the streets in Hyderabad demanding action. Between the narrative of action and the action itself is the long shadow cast by political compulsions and power-play. It remains to be seen whether the State can walk the talk when it comes to women’s safety.

Online attacks

It also remains to be seen if the State can strike a balance between safeguarding free expression and curbing online targeting and harassment. Name-calling and personal attacks are not new to Indian politics or public life. What has changed is the scale, speed and anonymity with which online abuse unfolds. Women in positions of visibility are being increasingly subjected to orchestrated campaigns laced with sexualised slurs, threats and disinformation. The impact of social media trolling is not just confined to reputational harm; such attacks affect mental health, professional standing and personal safety, and are often intended to silence women from public engagement altogether. These attacks are often amplified by bots and anonymous accounts, making it harder for the cyber police to trace. The Telangana police, which is considered the first mover in technical fields, has accepted it as much. It has taken recourse to reaching out to tech platforms directly to identify the people behind certain handles; it has even invoked the dreaded Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) to get details of a social media handle that had allegedly been sharing misinformation.

Approving arrests and instituting an SIT carries social and administrative signalling. By stepping in when a serving civil servant was targeted, the government is asserting that institutional authority will not be undermined through digital smear campaigns. At the same time, the action following the abuse of an actress suggests an attempt to broaden that protection beyond the bureaucracy. Yet questions remain about whether similar urgency will be extended to less prominent women who face daily harassment.

Justice and a functioning law and order system is what people expect now. The Chief Minister’s word on the POCSO case comes at the right moment. Can the Telangana government deliver justice and safety to all women, irrespective of the background of the complainants?

Telangana is set for a politically charged Monday (April 20, 2026) as Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and BRS president K. Chandrashekar Rao hold parallel public meetings in the same combined Karimnagar district on Monday (April 20, 2026), turning the day into a high-stakes battle for political perception.

The BRS meeting in Jagityal assumes particular significance as it marks Mr KCR’s first major public address after the Parliament elections and his first appearance at a public rally in over a year, during which he largely remained confined to his farmhouse.

The Chief Minister of Telangana Revanth Reddy appears to be steadily consolidating his position within both the Telangana government and the State unit of the Congress, sending clear signals that he intends to shape the party’s future leadership with young faces and create his own band of loyalists. This has been apparent in his appointment of party Whips to the Assembly and the Legislative Council.

The three newly appointed Assembly Whips, Vemula Veeresham, Vijaya Ramana Rao and Yennam Srinivas Reddy, are relatively recent entrants to the Congress, from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), Telugu Desam Party (TDP), and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) respectively.

Similarly, Addanki Dayakar and Venkat Balmoor, both first-time legislators and known loyalists of the Chief Minister, were appointed as Whips to the Legislative Council. All are young as well.

Patnam Mahender Reddy, who defected from the BRS and shares long-standing ties with Mr. Reddy, will continue as the Government Chief Whip in the Council.

Active consolidation

Sources indicate that the recent decisions were influenced by Mr. Reddy despite the constitution of a coordination committee to bridge the gap between the government and the party. Alongside Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Mahesh Kumar Goud, the committee includes senior ministers N. Uttam Kumar Reddy and Damodar Raja Narasimha. The inclusion of Minister Seethakka, regarded as a close confidante of Mr. Reddy, had drawn attention, particularly as several long-serving veterans were left out.

Moreover, the recent developments involving senior leader T. Jeevan Reddy have added another dimension to Mr. Reddy’s purported consolidation. Considered one of the most senior Congress figures in Telangana, Jeevan Reddy expressed dissatisfaction over the induction of a BRS MLA from his constituency without his consultation. Despite voicing his displeasure, he received little to no reassurance on the matter.

Within party circles, the episode is viewed as a signal that any resistance to the Chief Minister’s political strategy will not sit well with him.

These measures also lay out the roadmap for the Chief Minister’s long-term plan and repeated assertion — that his government will remain in power for 10 years. Senior Congress leaders interpret this not merely as political optimism but as a declaration of intent. His recent sharp exchanges with the Opposition in the Assembly reinforced this perception. While responding to taunts from BRS legislators, he declared that he would “crush” his opponents in the next elections, as he did in December 2023. Though triggered by Opposition remarks, many within the Congress believe the message underscored his undisputed authority within the party.

At present, there is no visible challenger to Mr. Reddy in the State unit. And his recent organisational decisions suggest that he is determined to ensure there are no parallel centres of power.

Congress loyalist

Despite consolidating power within the State, Mr. Reddy has consistently underlined his loyalty to the Congress high command. He frequently credits Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for reposing confidence in him at a critical juncture, attributing the formation of the Congress government in Telangana to their trust.

He earned the confidence of the Gandhi family by bringing back Congress rule after 10 years of BRS rule. His elevation as TPCC president about a year or so before the 2023 Assembly elections marked a decisive shift in the party’s fortunes. At the time, Congress’s morale was at an all-time low, with a steady stream of defections to the BRS.

Mr. Reddy’s appointment injected fresh enthusiasm into the cadre. He projected confidence that the Congress could wrest power from the invincible K. Chandrashekar Rao. In a national climate where Congress was facing repeated electoral setbacks, the Telangana unit under his leadership defeated the BRS. The victory was viewed as one of the Congress’s most significant State-level comebacks. Now, by building a cohort of younger leaders and trusted loyalists, he appears intent on shaping both governance and the party’s future on his strengths.