SIT Questions K. T. Rama Rao for Over Seven Hours in Phone-Tapping Case

Hyderabad, Jan 2026 : The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged telephone-tapping case on Friday questioned Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president and former Telangana minister K. T. Rama Rao (KTR) for more than seven hours at the Jubilee Hills Police Station in Hyderabad.

After the prolonged examination, Rama Rao returned to the BRS headquarters, Telangana Bhavan, where he addressed party leaders and workers. Hyderabad Police Commissioner V. C. Sajjanar, who is overseeing the SIT investigation, said that KTR was questioned in detail and that key aspects of the case were examined and are now being analysed in light of the evidence collected so far.

In an official statement, Commissioner Sajjanar said Rama Rao had been instructed not to contact or influence any witnesses connected with the case and was informed that he could be summoned again if required. He clarified that the questioning was conducted strictly in connection with a case registered in 2024, which pertains to allegations of large-scale unauthorised and illegal phone surveillance.

According to the police, the alleged surveillance involved thousands of individuals from diverse sections of society, including politicians, businesspersons, journalists, members of the judiciary, and other prominent personalities. Sajjanar emphasised that the investigation was being carried out independently and in accordance with the law.

The Police Commissioner also cautioned against what he described as the spread of misleading and baseless narratives in certain sections of the media and by some individuals. These claims, he said, suggest that phone interceptions were carried out on security grounds and involved no illegality. “The Investigating Agency is not concerned with such false narratives. The probe is being conducted in a fair, professional, and lawful manner,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, addressing party leaders and cadres at Telangana Bhavan, Rama Rao sharply criticised the proceedings, calling them a “calculated diversionary tactic” by the Congress-led state government. He alleged that investigative agencies were being misused to create public spectacle and distract attention from what he described as the government’s administrative failures and unfulfilled election promises.

KTR said he had fully cooperated with the SIT and answered every question during the seven-and-a-half-hour-long examination. However, he dismissed the substance of the questioning, claiming that officials merely read out hundreds of names repeatedly without presenting any concrete evidence or specific allegations against him.

He further alleged that despite the extensive questioning, the SIT failed to explain how sensitive information related to the case has consistently found its way into the media. According to him, these leaks have been used over the past two years to target the personal lives and reputations of BRS leaders and their families.

Raising broader concerns, Rama Rao questioned the government’s silence on allegations of continued surveillance under the present administration. He claimed that the culture of phone tapping has not ended and has instead extended even into the ruling establishment, citing media reports in which a sitting minister allegedly told journalists that he could not speak freely due to surveillance fears.

The BRS leader challenged the government to address these allegations transparently instead of, as he put it, using the SIT to propagate “fictional stories” aimed at maligning the opposition. He reiterated that his party would continue to expose what it sees as the misuse of state machinery for political ends and asserted confidence that the truth would ultimately prevail.