Hyderabad’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) has escalated its probe into the controversial phone tapping scandal by issuing a summons to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K.T. Rama Rao, popularly known as KTR. The notice, served on Thursday, requires KTR to appear before Assistant Commissioner of Police P. Venkateshwar on Friday at 11 AM for questioning.
The SIT’s directive stems from evidence suggesting KTR’s familiarity with key facts and circumstances of the case. Authorities emphasized that failure to comply without valid reason will trigger legal action. This development comes just days after the team grilled senior BRS leader and former minister T. Harish Rao for nearly seven hours, marking the first time a top BRS figure faced such scrutiny.
The phone tapping allegations date back to the BRS regime, where opponents claim a special unit within the Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) illegally surveilled politicians, business tycoons, journalists, and even judges. The scandal erupted in March 2024, leading to an FIR at Panjagutta police station under multiple charges.
Key accused include former SIB chief T. Prabhakar Rao, along with police officers like Deputy Superintendent D. Praneeth Rao, Additional SP Tirupathanna, N. Bhujanga Rao, ex-DCP Radha Kishan Rao, and TV channel owner Shravana Kumar. Harish Rao, post-interrogation, dismissed the summons as political vendetta linked to his exposés on alleged corruption involving Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s brother-in-law S. Srijan Reddy. He even quipped that he posed more questions to the SIT than they did to him.
As the investigation intensifies, the case threatens to unravel more layers of alleged surveillance abuses during the previous administration. BRS leaders have decried it as a witch hunt by the current Congress government, while authorities insist on transparency and accountability. KTR’s appearance could provide crucial insights or spark further political fireworks in Telangana.