Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) supremo and former chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR) was questioned for nearly five hours on Sunday, February 1, by the Telangana Police Special Investigation Team (SIT) at his Banjara Hills residence in connection with the phone-tapping case.
The questioning began at 3 pm.
He was greeted by his supporters outside his residence.
Earlier in the day, senior SIT officers visited KCR’s residence and examined a designated room. KCR was accompanied by nephew and former BRS MP Jogipally Santosh Kumar. Senior advocate Ramchander Rao was present at the residence to provide legal assistance.
KCR’s son and BRS Working President KT Rama Rao (KTR) was also present at the residence along with T Harish Rao and RS Praveen Kumar, and others.
Earlier in the day, police tightened security arrangements and conducted aerial surveillance using drones in the area.
BRS cadres held demonstrations across Telangana, protesting against the “political harassment” of their leader by the Congress government.
The previous day, the veteran leader charges at the SIT with “violating legal procedures” in serving the notice.
The Special Investigation Team, on January 30, declined the former chief minister’s request to be questioned at Yerravalli and directed him to appear at his residence on February 1. Rao has been engaged in legal arguments with investigators in recent days over the place and date of his examination in the alleged phone-tapping case.
The case pertains to allegations of widespread unauthorised and illegal phone surveillance and interception involving politicians, businessmen, journalists, members of the judiciary, and other prominent individuals during the previous BRS government.
Earlier, KCR’s son and BRS Working President KT Rama Rao (KTR) and his nephews, T Harish Rao and J Santosh Kumar, appeared before the SIT on January 23, January 20, and January 27, respectively, in connection with the case.
Former Telangana intelligence chief T Prabhakar Rao, the prime accused in the case, has already been questioned by the SIT.
A suspended DSP of the Telangana Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) was among four police officials arrested by Hyderabad Police since March 2024 for allegedly erasing intelligence information from electronic devices and for alleged phone-tapping during the previous BRS regime. They were subsequently granted bail.
