Phone Tapping Case: Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar Joins Probe As Witness

Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Friday appeared before a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to provide crucial testimony in the alleged illegal phone tapping during the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) regime in Telangana.

According to sources, Mr Kumar carried envelopes that were marked confidential as he appeared before the probe agency. "My family, staff, partymen. All our phones were tapped. Do not trust the (ruling) Congress or the BRS. The Congress is hand in glove with the BRS," he told reporters. 

Mr Kumar, who was the BJP state president when the alleged tapping took place, reportedly gathered significant information for his deposition, the sources said. Before his appearance, he reportedly met former senior police officers from both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to prepare his case. These discussions, the sources indicated, provided him with key inputs.

The phone-tapping issue has also drawn the attention of the Union Home Ministry, with central officials reportedly discussing broader security concerns with state intelligence agencies. The surveillance of political leaders, including VIPs and those involved in anti-Maoist activities, was a point of discussion.

Former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) has been accused of forming a "Special Operations Team" under a now suspended DSP within the Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) for carrying out certain specific tasks related to political surveillance to benefit the then ruling political party and its leaders.

During his time as BJP state president, Mr Kumar was a vocal critic of the BRS government and was leading padayatras across Telangana. He alleged he was a primary target of the surveillance at that time. It is alleged that phones belonging to him, his family, securityman, driver and close associates were tapped.

The SIT is currently investigating the roles of senior BRS government officials in the scandal. Former task force officer Radha Kishan Rao has reportedly confessed that top authorities, including KCR, had ordered the surveillance.