In a significant turn for the ongoing phone-tapping scandal, BRS President K Chandrasekhar Rao sat down with the Telangana Police Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Sunday. The former Chief Minister traveled from his farmhouse in Yerravalli to his Nandi Nagar residence in Hyderabad specifically for the session, which follows days of legal back-and-forth regarding where and when the questioning would take place.
The atmosphere around Rao’s home was incredibly tense. Police had the entire lane barricaded with heavy deployment to manage both the SIT's arrival and the crowds of BRS supporters. This questioning follows similar sessions with Rao’s son, KT Rama Rao, and other family members like T Harish Rao over the last two weeks. KCR had initially pushed to be questioned at his farmhouse, citing his schedule with municipal election nominations, but the SIT held firm on the February 1 date at his city residence.
The case itself is massive, involving allegations that the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi government ran an unauthorised surveillance operation targeting everyone from rival politicians and journalists to members of the judiciary. The probe has already witnessed the arrest of four police officials, including a suspended DSP, in early 2024 for charges of deleting intelligence information and illegal interception. Although the four are on bail, the spotlight is now fixed firmly on the political leadership.
As the SIT probe began, BRS party workers in Telangana staged protests against the probe, terming the entire investigation a "political witch hunt" by the Congress government. However, the probe team appears resolute in establishing the chain of command, having already grilled the prime accused and former intelligence chief, T Prabhakar Rao.
Also read: BRS protests across Telangana against SIT notice to KCR
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