BRS leader Rama Rao questioned by SIT in phone tapping case

Hyderabad, Jan 23 (PTI) BRS Working President K T Rama Rao was on Friday questioned by the SIT probing the alleged phone tapping during the previous BRS regime.

The BRS leader, who reached the Jubilee Hills police station here at about 11 am, was questioned till around 6 pm.

Rama Rao, son of BRS president and former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, was served a notice on Thursday for an appearance before the SIT.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar said information related to relevant aspects of the case was obtained (from Rama Rao) and being analysed with the evidence on record.

Rama Rao was instructed not to contact or influence any witnesses and was also informed that he may be summoned again, if required, he said in a release.

Rama

Rao’s examination was conducted solely in connection with the case related allegations of widespread unauthorised and illegal phone surveillance and interception involving thousands of citizens from all walks of life, including politicians, businessmen, journalists, judiciary and eminent personalities, he said.

“It has been noticed that misleading and baseless information is being circulated by certain sections of the media and individuals, claiming that phone interception was done on security grounds and that no illegality was involved. The Investigating Agency is not concerned with such false narratives,” Sajjanar said in the release.

The investigation is being conducted strictly in accordance with law, fairly and professionally, he said.

The Commissioner requested public not to propagate or circulate unverified or misleading information and to rely only on facts placed on record through lawful and official channels.

Speaking to reporters at BRS office here after his examination concluded, Rama Rao claimed that there is no substance in the case.

The investigation into the case has been dragging like a TV serial and he was asked the same questions again and again.

For the last two years, the government has been indulging in “attention diversion” from its alleged failures using the phone tapping case, he alleged.

“I have asked them (SIT officers). There have been numerous stories in the last two years assassinating my character personally and also assassinating the character of our party leadership, saying that certain actresses phones were tapped and something illegal was done,” he said.

Asked as to who is the actress who complained to police, the officials replied that they have already clarified that no such thing happened, he said.

However, damage has already been done to him and BRS, he said.

Dismissing Rama Rao’s criticism against the government, state Congress president B Mahesh Kumar Goud said there is no political harassment against the BRS leaders.

If the Congress government sought to harass BRS politically, it would have taken action against the opposition party leaders when it came to power, he told mediapersons.

The BRS Working President has not responded to his sister K Kavitha’s allegations that her husband’s phone was also tapped during the BRS regime, he said.

Responding to the questioning of Rama Rao, Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar alleged that the state government has not given freedom to the SIT officials in conducting the probe.

No political leader has been arrested so far though the probe began two years ago, he said.

Rama Rao’s cousin and senior BRS MLA T Harish Rao was on January 20 questioned by the SIT in the phone tapping case.

Former Telangana intelligence chief T Prabhakar Rao, the prime accused in the case was earlier questioned by the SIT.

A suspended DSP of Telangana Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) was among four police officials who have been arrested by Hyderabad Police since March 2024 for allegedly erasing the intelligence information from various electronic gadgets as well as for alleged phone-tapping during the previous BRS regime. They were subsequently granted bail.

A detailed investigation has been going on into the case with the first chargesheet having been filed against certain accused persons, police said. PTI SJR SJR ROH