Hyderabad: Former Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao was questioned by the state police’s SIT at his residence here on Sunday in connection with a case related to alleged “phone tapping” during the previous BRS regime.
A team of SIT officials questioned the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) president for nearly five hours.
After the questioning, flanked by his son and BRS working president K T Rama Rao and other leaders, the former chief minister greeted the party cadre and supporters who had gathered in large numbers outside his residence.
Elaborate security arrangements were made near Rao’s residence with heavy deployment of police personnel and the lane was barricaded.
On Saturday, Rao told the SIT that he would appear for questioning at his Nandi Nagar residence on February 1, while accusing the investigating officer of “violating legal procedures” in serving the notice.
On Sunday, BRS cadres staged protests across Telangana, alleging “political harassment” of Rao by the Congress government over the summoning of their leader.
Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, reacting to the questioning of Rao, on Sunday that the Congress government will not indulge in vindictive actions.
He said providing highly democratic governance is the core objective of “our people’s government”.
The case pertains to allegations of widespread unauthorised and illegal phone surveillance and interception involving politicians, businessmen, journalists, members of the judiciary, and other prominent individuals during the previous BRS government.
Rao had requested to be questioned at Yerravalli, but this request was declined by the Special Investigation Team on January 30. He was further directed to appear at his residence on February 1. Rao has been engaged in legal arguments with investigators in recent days over the place and date of his examination in the “phone-tapping” case.
On January 29, Rao requested that his examination be conducted at his farmhouse in Yerravalli.
The SIT had called him for questioning on January 30, but he sought a new date, citing preoccupation with municipal election nominations.
Earlier, KCR’s son and BRS Working President K T Rama Rao and his (Rama Rao’s) cousins, T Harish Rao and J Santosh Kumar, appeared before the SIT on January 23, January 20, and January 27, respectively, in connection with the case.
Former Telangana intelligence chief T Prabhakar Rao, the prime accused in the case, has already been examined by the SIT.
A suspended DSP of the Telangana Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) was among four police officials arrested by Hyderabad Police since March 2024 for allegedly erasing intelligence information from electronic devices and for alleged phone-tapping during the previous BRS regime. They were subsequently granted bail.
Police earlier said a detailed investigation is underway in the case, and the first chargesheet has already been filed against some of the accused.
