Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar intensified his call for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged illegal phone tapping during the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) regime in Telangana, expressing distrust in the state’s Special Investigation Team (SIT). Speaking to reporters before appearing as a witness before the SIT on Friday, Kumar accused the Congress-led Telangana government of shielding BRS leaders and stifling the investigation.

Kumar, who served as Telangana BJP president during the BRS government, claimed his phone was among the most heavily tapped, alongside those of his family, staff, and BJP workers. “I was the first to expose this illegal surveillance,” he asserted, alleging that former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao orchestrated the operation. He vowed to submit a “confidential report” with critical evidence to the SIT, gathered from central intelligence agencies, to bolster his claims.

The minister criticized the Congress government for appointing inquiry commissions into BRS-era issues without taking concrete action, suggesting a “secret understanding” between the two parties. “The SIT officers are competent, but the Congress government isn’t allowing them to investigate freely,” Kumar said, reiterating his demand for a CBI probe to ensure impartiality.

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The phone-tapping scandal, which surfaced in March 2024 after Congress assumed power, involves allegations that a Special Operations Team, formed under former SIB chief T. Prabhakar Rao, illegally monitored over 1,200 individuals, including opposition leaders, judges, journalists, and business figures. Four police officials, including a suspended DSP, were arrested for erasing evidence and conducting unauthorized surveillance but were later granted bail. Prabhakar Rao, the prime accused, returned from the United States in June 2025 following Supreme Court orders and is under scrutiny.

Kumar, accompanied by BJP supporters, offered prayers at a Hanuman temple in Khairatabad before walking to Dilkusha guesthouse to meet SIT officials. His earlier scheduled appearance on July 28 was postponed due to parliamentary commitments. The BJP’s legal cell has already approached the Telangana High Court, seeking a CBI investigation, citing the case’s implications for national security and democratic integrity.

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