Hyderabad, July 17 (IANS) Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar, who has been called as a witness in the alleged phone-tapping case, said that former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) committed the crime of phone tapping but he got the invitation as witness.

“KCR did the crime of Phone tapping & now I got the invitation as witness. My phone, my family’s, my staff’s – no one was spared. That’s how low they stooped,” Bandi Sanjay posted on social media platform X after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) requested to examine him.

The Minister of State said that he would fully cooperate with SIT. “The truth will come out. Satyameva Jayate,” he added.

In a notice issued under section 160 of CrPC on Thursday, the SIT has requested Bandi Sanjay for appointment to record his statement in connection with the investigation into phone tapping.

“During the course of investigation, it has been learnt that you are acquainted with certain facts and circumstances which are relevant to the investigation of this case,” reads the notice issued by P. Venkatagiri, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Jubilee Hills.

The investigation officer requested Bandi Sanjay to intimate the date and time of his convenience for the examination.

Leaders of some political parties including Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Mahesh Kumar Goud, BJP MP and former minister Eatala Rajender have already deposed before SIT as witnesses.

The phone tapping allegations came to light in March last year, a few months after BRS lost power to the Congress party.

Police last year arrested four cops in the case. They were later released on bail.

Former chief of State Intelligence Bureau (SIB) Prabhakar Rao, who is the main accused in the case, returned from the United States last month on the direction of the Supreme Court. He has been summoned by SIT multiple times for questioning.

When BRS was in power, a team was allegedly constituted in SIB to tap the phones of leaders of opposition parties, dissidents within BRS, businesspersons, celebrities, journalists and even judges.

Earlier, Bandi Sanjay had asked the Congress government why it was not issuing notices to KCR.

He questioned why KCR his son and BRS working president K. T. Rama Rao (KTR) have not been summoned on the basis of the statements of the accused.

“Is there an internal understanding between Congress and BRS? Why are they protecting each other?” he had asked.

–IANS

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