SIT summons BJP leader in T'gana phone-tapping case
The Special Investigation Team of the Telangana police probing the alleged phone tapping during the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi regime, summoned a close aide of Union minister of state for home Bandi Sanjay for questioning in connection with the case, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) disclosed on Friday. The statement said the SIT, which began its investigation into phone tapping after the Congress came to power, had already confirmed that Bandi Sanjay's phone had been tapped (HT Archive)
In a statement, the Telangana BJP said the SIT officials had confirmed on Friday that the phone of Bandi Sanjay's close aide and BJP Karimnagar Parliamentary constituency convenor, Boyinapalli Praveen Rao, was tapped during the previous BRS regime.
'The SIT authorities called up Praveen Rao and informed him that his phone number was also in the list of those which were tapped. They said they would summon him shortly, and he would be required to appear before the investigating authorities for questioning,' the BJP said.
Meanwhile, BJP state general secretary Gujjula Premender Reddy, too, confirmed that he had received the information from the investigating authorities that his phone, too, was tapped during the previous regime.
The statement said the SIT, which began its investigation into phone tapping after the Congress came to power, had already confirmed that Bandi Sanjay's phone had been tapped. 'Now, the investigation has revealed that the phones of his staff and close associates were also tapped,' it said.
The party said Praveen Rao has been a long-time associate of Bandi Sanjay and had managed Sanjay's election campaigns in the past. 'In recent years, Praveen Rao has served as Sanjay's personal assistant and the BJP Karimnagar Parliamentary constituency convenor, coordinating constituency tours and supervising the execution of various programmes,' it said.
It said Praveen Rao had taken part in the agitations of Sanjay during the BRS regime against forcible implementation of GO 317 (on employees' transfers), leakage of Class 10 examination paper, communal violence at Bhainsa and other such incidents. 'He was even named as a co-accused in several public agitation-related cases alongside Sanjay,' the party said.
Premender Reddy also said the SIT authorities had informed him, too, that his phone was also tapped during the BRS regime. 'I shall hand over all the evidence and other details of my mobile phone to the Jubilee Hills police on Monday,' he said, adding that if the police did not take any action even after gathering all the details, the state government would be held responsible.
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