KT Rama Rao questioned by SIT in phone tapping case, ordered not to contact or influence any witnesses

Bharath Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao on Friday, was instructed to not contact or influence any witnesses and was told that he may be summoned again, after he appeared before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the phone-tapping case in Hyderabad.

The case pertains to allegations that phones were illegally intercepted through the Special Intelligence Branch to benefit the Bharat Rashtra Samithi.

Following an enquiry that lasted over eight hours, KTR said that he fully cooperated with the enquiry, and described the exercise as repetitive and lacking substance. He also alleged that officials merely read out hundreds of names without producing any concrete evidence.

Earlier, former DCP P Radhakrishna Rao alleged that phones belonging to prominent names in the media industry, retired cops, and politicians were monitored during the BRS government tenure. He alleged it was done to keep tabs on then Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's political rivals.

During the 2023 assembly elections, officers in Telangana allegedly intercepted the communications of several political leaders, businessmen and Tollywood celebrities, Rao claimed.

KTR's car was surrounded by party workers who expressed their anger over the SIT notice by gathering near the police station and sloganeering against the CM.

Both leaders have criticised the Congress government, especially targeting the CM, calling the SIT probe a "time-pass", and, earlier today, KTR accused Reddy of character assassination over the last two years.

He alleged that the government was creating a series of "dramas", citing what he termed the Kaleshwaram drama, the Sheep Scam drama, the Formula E drama, and the phone tapping drama. He maintained his stance and said he had never been involved in illegal or unjust activities.

"I say this with my conscience as witness," he asserted.