Bengaluru, 15 March

The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) case registered against former Chief Minister and BJP stalwart BS Yediyurappa was on Friday handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for further probe.

According to Sadashivanagar police, the 81-year-old Yediyurappa has been booked under section 8 of the POCSO Act and Section 354 A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) based on a complaint by the mother of a 17-year-old girl. The complainant alleged that the incident took place on February two when her daughter went with her to meet Yediyurappa at his residence.

The Director General of Police Alok Mohan in his message to the Bengaluru police said the case has been transferred to CID for further investigation with immediate effect.

Denying the charge, Yediyurappa said the woman had been trying to meet him but was never allowed to enter his house. "Once when she was crying, I called her inside my house and spoke to Police Commissioner B Dayananda, that some injustice had happened to her. However, when she started speaking something against me in front of me, I concluded that this woman is not proper," he said.

After meeting the Police Commissioner, she gave a twist to the matter, Yediyurappa alleged. "I heard that an FIR has been registered against me. I will do whatever has to be done legally but this also happens when one tries to help somebody," the BJP Parliamentary Board member said.