Hyderabad: The BJP on Saturday petitioned Telangana Governor CP Radhakrishna demanding a CBI inquiry into alleged phone tapping during the previous BRS regime.
The BJP appealed to the Governor to seek a report from the state to apprise the Union Home Ministry as the matter falls under the concurrent jurisdiction of both the governments and the Election Commission, "therefore a thorough CBI investigation is required".
In a memorandum submitted to the Governor by the BJP delegation led by MP Laxman, the party pointed out that ever since the Telangana Police registered the case, evidence is emerging in the public domain regarding the alleged testimony of senior police officers, Who masterminded the entire operation. ,
BJ said, so far four senior officers of ACP and DCP rank have been arrested.
“The facts that are emerging in the public domain are indeed very serious, as they, on the one hand, raise serious questions about the security of the nation and, on the other hand, violate the security and liberty of individuals.The deliberate and mischievous intrusion into private lives by such state-sponsored machinery is unprecedented besides being harmful,” it said.
Media reports and FIRs lodged by the police revealed that during the 2018 Assembly elections, 2019 Lok Sabha elections and subsequent by-elections in the state, some of these police officers resorted to tapping telephones of opposition parties. BJP said.
“Now the arrested former police officers have reportedly confessed and given statements as to how they helped (BJ candidate in Dubbak by-election) M Raghunandan Rao during the by-elections in Dubbaka in 2020, Huzurabad in 2021 and Munugodu. The phones were tapped in November 2022,” the memorandum said.
The party said it has also been reported that they have monitored the calls of senior leaders of opposition parties to know their political strategies.
It claimed that one aspect of tapping the phones of political leaders of opposition parties was to gain political mileage, but the manner in which police officers tapped the phones of rich businessmen, especially jewellers, is shocking.Additionally, parts of the conversations containing questionable content were used to extort money, it was claimed.
“In fact, all this happened with the active connivance of senior BRS leaders, including ministers and the CM himself,” the BJP said in the memorandum, citing media reports and the FIR.
It further said that the arrested former/serving officers have allegedly confessed that they had transported money in police vehicles to help the ruling party candidates during the elections.
If this admission is found to be true, it is a blatant attempt to hoodwink the Election Commission itself and amounts to brazen fraud. BJ said, using the state machinery for such illegal, fraudulent and sinister projects is an illegal practice.
The nature of the allegations, the sequence of events and the reports present in the public domain demand the Governor's intervention "as the matter jeopardizes the security of the country and the privacy of its citizens"."This is a case where the state has openly facilitated extortion," it said.
Four police officers have been arrested so far in connection with phone tapping and destruction of some computer systems and official data after a police complaint was filed on March 10.
BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Wednesday said he had nothing to do with the alleged phone tapping during the previous BRS regime.
The BJP appealed to the Governor to seek a report from the state to apprise the Union Home Ministry as the matter falls under the concurrent jurisdiction of both the governments and the Election Commission, "therefore a thorough CBI investigation is required".
In a memorandum submitted to the Governor by the BJP delegation led by MP Laxman, the party pointed out that ever since the Telangana Police registered the case, evidence is emerging in the public domain regarding the alleged testimony of senior police officers, Who masterminded the entire operation. ,
BJ said, so far four senior officers of ACP and DCP rank have been arrested.
“The facts that are emerging in the public domain are indeed very serious, as they, on the one hand, raise serious questions about the security of the nation and, on the other hand, violate the security and liberty of individuals.The deliberate and mischievous intrusion into private lives by such state-sponsored machinery is unprecedented besides being harmful,” it said.
Media reports and FIRs lodged by the police revealed that during the 2018 Assembly elections, 2019 Lok Sabha elections and subsequent by-elections in the state, some of these police officers resorted to tapping telephones of opposition parties. BJP said.
“Now the arrested former police officers have reportedly confessed and given statements as to how they helped (BJ candidate in Dubbak by-election) M Raghunandan Rao during the by-elections in Dubbaka in 2020, Huzurabad in 2021 and Munugodu. The phones were tapped in November 2022,” the memorandum said.
The party said it has also been reported that they have monitored the calls of senior leaders of opposition parties to know their political strategies.
It claimed that one aspect of tapping the phones of political leaders of opposition parties was to gain political mileage, but the manner in which police officers tapped the phones of rich businessmen, especially jewellers, is shocking.Additionally, parts of the conversations containing questionable content were used to extort money, it was claimed.
“In fact, all this happened with the active connivance of senior BRS leaders, including ministers and the CM himself,” the BJP said in the memorandum, citing media reports and the FIR.
It further said that the arrested former/serving officers have allegedly confessed that they had transported money in police vehicles to help the ruling party candidates during the elections.
If this admission is found to be true, it is a blatant attempt to hoodwink the Election Commission itself and amounts to brazen fraud. BJ said, using the state machinery for such illegal, fraudulent and sinister projects is an illegal practice.
The nature of the allegations, the sequence of events and the reports present in the public domain demand the Governor's intervention "as the matter jeopardizes the security of the country and the privacy of its citizens"."This is a case where the state has openly facilitated extortion," it said.
Four police officers have been arrested so far in connection with phone tapping and destruction of some computer systems and official data after a police complaint was filed on March 10.
BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Wednesday said he had nothing to do with the alleged phone tapping during the previous BRS regime.
