The Aryavarth Express
Agency (Bengaluru): Former Karnataka Chief Minister and senior BJP leader B.S. Yediyurappa has been booked under the POCSO Act based on a complaint by the mother of a 17-year-old girl. Yediyurappa has denied the charge and said he will fight the case legally.
According to the police, the incident allegedly took place on February 2nd when the girl and her mother went to meet Yediyurappa at his residence. The case has been registered under Section 8 of the POCSO Act and Section 354A of the Indian Penal Code.
The Karnataka Director General of Police has now ordered the case to be transferred to the Crime Investigation Department (CID) for further investigation.
Yediyurappa has refuted the allegations, stating that the woman had been trying to meet him but was never allowed to enter his house. He claimed that once when she was crying, he called her inside and spoke to the Police Commissioner, but when she started speaking something against him, he concluded that “this woman is not proper.”
Home Minister G. Parameshwara has stated that until the investigation is completed, no concrete conclusions can be drawn, and that they need to be extremely cautious in their statements since a former Chief Minister is involved.
Two purported videos have also emerged, apparently filmed by the girl when she went to meet Yediyurappa with her mother. In one video, the mother is seen addressing Yediyurappa as ‘Appa Ji’ and seeking his help in resolving a litigation involving her wealth.
The case has sparked a political controversy, with the BJP leader vowing to fight the charges legally. The outcome of the CID investigation will be closely watched, given Yediyurappa’s stature in the party and the sensitive nature of the allegations.