KTR appears before SIT in phone-tapping case; protests erupt outside Telangana Bhavan

BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao appeared before the SIT in the alleged phone-tapping case on Friday amid heavy police deployment. Tensions flared as police restricted party leaders and cadre, triggering protests at Telangana Bhavan and Jubilee Hills.

Hyderabad: BRS working president KT Rama Rao appeared before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Hyderabad police at Jubilee Hills police station on Friday for questioning in the alleged phone-tapping case linked to the previous BRS regime. He was allowed to enter the police station alone, while senior party leaders, including former Minister T Harish Rao were stopped outside.

The SIT had issued a notice to Rama Rao under Section 160 of the CrPC on January 22, directing him to appear at 11 am at the office of the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Jubilee Hills Police Station.

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Tension escalated earlier when Rama Rao left Telangana Bhavan to proceed to the police station. A large number of BRS cadre followed his vehicle, leading to a commotion. Police attempted to disperse them and forcibly closed the gates of Telangana Bhavan. In the ensuing scuffle, several party workers, including women leaders, sustained injuries.

Angry BRS leaders and activists raised slogans accusing the government of authoritarianism and alleged that police had illegally intruded into the party office. The situation intensified as police cordoned off Telangana Bhavan, shutting gates on both sides and restricting movement, effectively turning the premises into a virtual prison.

Despite the restrictions, party cadre who were waiting outside followed Rama Rao’s convoy in two-wheelers and four-wheelers. Police erected barricades at multiple points en route to Jubilee Hills and stopped vehicles accompanying his car.

Protests continued near the Jubilee Hills police station, where former Ministers Errabelli Dayakar Rao and Koppula Eshwar, former MLAs Shankar Naik and Kranthi Kiran, along with other BRS leaders, staged a sit-in on the road. They condemned the police excesses and questioned the manner in which the questioning was being handled.