Did K.T. Rama Rao Appear Before the SIT in Phone Tapping Case?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Hyderabad, Jan 23 (NationPress) K.T. Rama Rao, the working president of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), arrived at the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Friday to provide testimony concerning the ongoing phone tapping investigation.
He reached the Jubilee Hills Police Station with heightened security measures in place at around 11 a.m.
P. Venkatagiri, the Assistant Commissioner of Police and lead investigator, issued a notice to KTR on Thursday, instructing him to appear.
The notice, which was served under section 160 of the Criminal Procedure Code, indicated that the Investigating Officer required KTR's personal testimony due to his familiarity with the case's facts and circumstances.
Prior to this, KTR visited the party headquarters, Telangana Bhavan, where numerous party supporters gathered to express their solidarity. Tensions flared outside Telangana Bhavan as some BRS members clashed verbally with police.
The BRS accused law enforcement of excessive force, which incited the party workers to chant slogans.
Accompanying KTR to the Jubilee Hills Police Station were senior BRS leader and former Minister T. Harish Rao along with other party officials. Police established stringent security protocols around the police station, including barricades to prevent BRS supporters from approaching.
This notice was issued two days after Harish Rao was interrogated by the SIT.
The investigation pertains to the alleged illegal interception of phone communications of political adversaries, business figures, journalists, and judges during the preceding BRS administration.
Previously, the SIT interrogated BRS MLC K. Naveen Rao and former MLAs Jaipal Yadav and C. Lingaiah regarding this matter.
The SIT has also interviewed high-profile individuals including Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay, BJP MPs Eatala Rajender and M. Raghunandan Rao, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president B. Mahesh Kumar Goud, and Chief Minister Revanth Reddy's associate Kondal Reddy as witnesses/victims.
This phone tapping scandal came to light in March 2024, leading to the filing of an FIR at the Panjagutta Police Station in Hyderabad, citing multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Prevention of Damage to Public Property (PDPP) Act, and the Information Technology Act.
During the BRS tenure, a special team was reportedly established within the Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) to monitor the communications of several individuals.
The chief accused in this case is T. Prabhakar Rao, the former head of the SIB, along with other implicated figures including Deputy Superintendent of Police D. Praneeth Rao, Additional SPs Thirupathanna and N. Bhujanga Rao, former DCP Radha Kishan Rao, and a television channel owner Sravan Kumar.