SIT notice in phone tapping case political harassment by Cong govt: BRS leader Harish Rao

Hyderabad, Jan 20 (PTI) BRS MLA T Harish Rao on Tuesday alleged that the notice issued to him for appearance before the SIT of Telangana Police for enquiry into phone tapping case is an attempt by the Congress government "to divert attention from its corruption" ahead of municipal elections.

Speaking to reporters ahead of appearing before the SIT, he alleged the notice was issued to him soon after he made allegations with regard to "corruption" in tenders of state-run miner, Singareni Collieries.

Attacking Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, he claimed that the he was being troubled though the Supreme Court had struck down a case related to phone tapping.

"We know how you (CM Revanth Reddy) troubled KTR (BRS leader K T Rama Rao, in Formula E race case), how our leaders are troubled. I am also being troubled similarly. However, we will continue to question you on behalf of people," said Harish Rao, a nephew of BRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao.

Harish Rao further claimed that he was being summoned though he is not concerned with the phone tapping case, adding he would take legal recourse in it.

The Telangana Police SIT probing the alleged phone tapping during the previous BRS regime has issued a notice to Harish Rao to appear before it here on Tuesday.

The nine-member SIT, comprising senior officers, is headed by Hyderabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar.

BRS MLC Naveen Rao on January 4 had appeared before the SIT in connection with the case.

Former Telangana intelligence chief T Prabhakar Rao, the prime accused in the case was earlier questioned by the SIT.

A suspended DSP of Telangana Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) was among four police officials who have been arrested by Hyderabad Police since March 2024 for allegedly erasing the intelligence information from various electronic gadgets as well as for alleged phone-tapping during the previous BRS regime. They were subsequently granted bail.

The accused are part of the alleged conspiracy in which they "misused" the resources of SIB for political purposes by putting citizens from different walks of life under surveillance, police had said.

Those named as accused in the case along with others had allegedly developed profiles of several persons unauthorisedly and were accused of monitoring them clandestinely and illegally in SIB and using them in a partisan manner to favour a political party at the behest of some persons, Police added. PTI SJR SJR ADB