Hyderabad, Jan 31 (TNT): Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao, President of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and former Chief Minister of Telangana, is scheduled to appear before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) at 3 pm on Sunday in connection with the alleged phone-tapping case during the previous BRS regime.
This is the first time KCR has been summoned in the case.
Earlier, the SIT questioned his son and former minister K.T. Rama Rao and his nephew — former minister T. Harish Rao, and former Rajya Sabha MP Santosh Kumar, who reportedly appeared before the investigation team a few days ago and were grilled for nearly seven hours.
The notice was served at 71-year-old KCR’s residence in Nandi Nagar, Banjara Hills, under Section 160 of the CrPC, stating that he is acquainted with facts and circumstances relevant to the case and that his examination is necessary for further investigation.
Considering KCR’s age of above 65, the SIT clarified that he is not required to visit a police station, and his statement may be recorded at his Nandi Nagar residence.
The BRS has stated that its leaders are cooperating fully with the investigation, while alleging that the probe is being carried out with political motives.
Meanwhile, the party on Saturday called for statewide protests, accusing the ruling Congress government of subjecting Telangana’s first Chief Minister to politically motivated harassment. Senior BRS leaders and former ministers, including Madhusudhana Chary, Talasani Srinivas Yadav, Sabitha Indra Reddy, Padma Rao Goud, Prashanth Reddy, Satyavathi Rathod, Balamallu and Karne Prabhakar, along with MLAs Vivek and Krishna Rao, appealed to party cadres to participate in large-scale, peaceful agitations across the state.
The leaders alleged that the government is deliberately targeting KCR as part of a political vendetta, fabricating allegations in the name of the phone-tapping case, and issuing SIT notices in an “unethical and malicious” manner.
As part of the protest programme, the BRS announced that effigies of the government will be burnt in over 12,000 villages across Telangana. Motorcycle rallies, black-flag demonstrations, dharnas and rasta rokos will also be organised at municipal headquarters and Assembly constituency centres.
Security arrangements have been tightened across Hyderabad in view of KCR’s appearance before the SIT, amid expectations of heightened political activity and public attention.
TNT TS
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