Telangana’s SIT has turned up the heat in the phone tapping imbroglio, dispatching a notice to BRS leader K.T. Rama Rao for immediate questioning. Issued Thursday, it orders KTR to present himself Friday at 11 AM to ACP P. Venkateshwar, citing his presumed knowledge of the affair’s intricacies.
The team warns of penalties for evasion. Hot on the heels of T. Harish Rao’s extended interrogation—lasting seven hours and the first for any BRS heavyweight—this move signals deepening scrutiny.
Rooted in the BRS era, the case involves claims of a clandestine SIB squad tapping calls of political foes, entrepreneurs, reporters, and judicial figures. It burst into public view in March 2024 with an FIR at Panjagutta police station under serious IPC sections.
Prime suspect T. Prabhakar Rao heads a roster including DSP D. Praneeth Rao, Addl. SP Tirupathanna, N. Bhujanga Rao, ex-DCP Radha Kishan Rao, and broadcaster Shravana Kumar. Post-grilling, Harish Rao fired back at media, calling his summons payback for flagging corruption by CM A. Revanth Reddy’s kin S. Srijan Reddy, and claimed he out-asked the SIT.
As KTR steps into the spotlight, the probe risks igniting a broader clash over governance ethics in Hyderabad. BRS cries foul, portraying it as Congress retaliation, while the SIT presses for unvarnished truths. The outcome could redefine political surveillance debates in India’s southern state.