Did KCR Engage in Phone Tapping? Bandi Sanjay Called as Witness

Hyderabad, July 17 (NationPress) Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar, who has been summoned as a witness in the alleged phone-tapping scandal, asserted that former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) is responsible for the phone tapping incident, yet he received an invitation to testify.

"KCR perpetrated the act of phone tapping, and now I have been invited as a witness. My phone, my family’s, and my staff’s devices—none were spared. They have truly sunk to a new low," Bandi Sanjay stated on the social media platform X following a request from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to question him.

The Minister of State emphasized his willingness to cooperate fully with the SIT, saying, "The truth will come to light. Satyameva Jayate,” he remarked.

On Thursday, a notice under section 160 of the CrPC was issued by the SIT, asking Bandi Sanjay to schedule a time to provide his statement regarding the ongoing investigation into the phone tapping.

“During the investigation, it has come to our knowledge that you possess certain facts and circumstances pertinent to this case,” stated the notice from P. Venkatagiri, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Jubilee Hills.

The investigating officer has asked Bandi Sanjay to inform them of a suitable date and time for his examination.

Politicians from various parties, including Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Mahesh Kumar Goud and BJP MP and former minister Eatala Rajender, have already provided testimonies as witnesses before the SIT.

The phone tapping allegations emerged in March of the previous year, shortly after the BRS lost power to the Congress party.

Last year, four police officers were arrested in connection with the case but were later granted bail.

Former head of the State Intelligence Bureau (SIB), Prabhakar Rao, who is the primary accused, returned from the United States last month following the Supreme Court's directive. He has been called in for questioning by the SIT multiple times.

While BRS was in power, it was alleged that a team within the SIB was formed to tap the phones of opposition leaders, dissidents within BRS, businessmen, celebrities, journalists, and even judges.

Bandi Sanjay previously questioned the Congress government regarding its inaction towards KCR.

He raised concerns about why KCR and his son, K. T. Rama Rao (KTR), have not been summoned based on the statements from the accused.

“Is there an internal agreement between Congress and BRS? Why are they shielding each other?” he inquired.