News channel confirms phone tapping case interrogation leaks from police

The controversy over alleged police leaks deepened after Zee Telugu News editor Bharath revealed that his channel was misled by false information during KT Rama Rao’s interrogation. Despite Hyderabad Police warning against "unverified" reports, Bharath claimed the leaks originated from the police themselves.

Hyderabad: On Friday, when BRS leaders spoke about ‘leaks’ being given to certain sections of the media during the marathon questioning session of BRS working president KT Rama Rao, the Hyderabad Police was quick to react with a statement that had warnings against “unverified”, “misleading” and “baseless” information.

However, on Saturday, a television news channel came out openly stating that it was given leaks by the police themselves, with these leaks later proving to be “misleading” information. In the Daily News Analysis programme by Editor Bharath on Zee Telugu News about the SIT interrogation of Rama Rao, Bharath said that things were becoming clear now, with him now being sure that the government and the police were intentionally giving leaks to mislead the media.

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He cited Rama Rao’s press conference after the questioning session, where he clarified that he was questioned alone, and not along with former cop Radhakrishna Rao. This was after multiple channels had aired bulletins earlier in the day, when the questioning was on, that Rama Rao and Radhakrishna Rao were being interrogated together.

Bharath pointed out that his channel too had aired the same news, based on leaks from the police department. That, however, later proved to be false information after Rama Rao’s press conference, he says, adding that it was now very clear that such leaks were being given on purpose to mislead the media quite intentionally.

Sharing a clip of Bharath’s programme, former Telangana Digital Media director Konatham Dileep said it was ‘extremely distressing’ that the police too were “falling prey to the illegal phone tapping case, which has been ongoing for the past two years, as a means to assassinate the character of BRS leaders by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy”.

“It is deplorable that the Telangana Police Department, which should remain impartial, is being used for such personal vendettas!,” he added.