From farmhouse to face-off: KCR finally appears for Hyderabad questioning in phone-tapping probe
After a tense standoff over the venue, former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao arrives at his Nandi Nagar residence to face SIT questioning; BRS supporters mobilize as the probe into illegal SIB surveillance widens.
The roads from the Erravalli farmhouse in Siddipet to the Nandi Nagar residence in Hyderabad were lined with Bharat Rashtra Samithi supporters shouting ‘Jai Telangana’ as former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao travelled to the city. BRS leaders and workers were mobilised in large numbers to show support as KCR headed to Hyderabad to appear before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in the alleged phone-tapping case.
There were a few instances of effigy burning along the way, even as several BRS workers claimed they were detained by police while proceeding to the Nandi Nagar residence. KCR’s official residence was surrounded by supporters shouting slogans in his favour.
Though he arrived in a convoy of private vehicles, Hyderabad police allowed only his vehicle and security detail to enter the residence premises. Police erected barricades on all four sides of the residence to prevent trespassing and any untoward incidents.
KCR reached the Nandi Nagar residence at 1 pm. His son and BRS working president, KT Rama Rao, was present to receive him along with supporters. The SIT will question KCR at 3 pm on Sunday.
This ends the tug-of-war between the Telangana police and KCR over the venue for his questioning. On Thursday, when asked to appear before the SIT, KCR had requested that his testimony be recorded at his current residence — a farmhouse in Siddipet district — and on a convenient date.
In response, the SIT said in a notice pasted on the compound wall of KCR’s official residence that he would have to appear at his “residence on record”, his house at Nandi Nagar in Hyderabad. The SIT asked him to appear for questioning at 3 pm on February 1.
It is to this second notice that KCR agreed, though with some reluctance. In a reply to the SIT, he wrote, “From the legal provisions and judgements of the honourable Supreme Court of India and various High courts, it is clear that pasting of the letter (second notice) dated January 30 on the compound wall of the house in Nandi Nagar is no notice in the eye of the law and the same is contrary to provisions of section 62 of CrPC… You have no jurisdiction and authority to issue notice to me for the purpose of recording my statement,” he wrote.
Story continues below this ad
“Notwithstanding the above legal position, I, being a former Chief Minister for the State of Telangana and the present Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, and also as a responsible citizen of this country, in order to assist the department in the investigation of the subject crime, I would be available for my examination at 3 pm on 01.02.2026 at Nandi Nagar residence as you are keen to record my statement there only,” he wrote.
The case pertains to allegations that the phones of BRS rivals were tapped when the party was in power in the state. Those currently accused include Special Intelligence Branch (SIB) chief and IPS officer T Prabhakar Rao, Deputy Superintendent of Police D Praneeth Rao, Additional Superintendents of Police M Thirupathanna and N Bhujanga Rao, former Superintendent of Police P Radhakishan Rao, and a TV channel owner, A Shravan Kumar Rao.
SIT sources had earlier claimed they had evidence to show that at least 600 phone numbers tapped by the SIB under Prabhakar Rao were unrelated to Left Wing Extremism. The SIB was set up in 1990 to track and prevent the activities of the Communist Party of India (Maoist). The sources told The Indian Express that the probe has widened to include the alleged illegal access of call data records and internet protocol data records of thousands of people.
The SIT is headed by Hyderabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar.
Nikhila Henry is an Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Hyderabad. With a career spanning 17 years, she has established herself as an authoritative voice on South Indian affairs, specialising in the complex intersections of politics, education, and social justice.
Experience & Career: Nikhila commenced her journalism career in 2007 as an education correspondent for The Times of India in Hyderabad,where she gained recognition for her coverage of student politics. Her professional trajectory includes a four-year tenure at The Hindu, where she focused on minority affairs and social welfare. In 2019, she took on a leadership role as the South Bureau Chief for The Quint, where she directed regional coverage across all five South Indian states. Her expansive career also includes a tenure at the BBC in New Delhi and contributions to prestigious international outlets such as The Sunday Times (London) and HuffPost India.
Expertise & Focus Areas
Nikhila’s reportage is marked by a deep-seated understanding of grassroots movements and institutional policy. Her core focus areas include:
Regional Politics: Comprehensive analysis of the socio-political dynamics across South India.
Education & Student Movements: Chronicling the evolution of Indian academics and the rise of youth activism.
Minority Affairs: Rigorous reporting on the welfare, rights, and challenges facing marginalized communities.
National Beat: Elevating regional stories to national prominence through investigative and on-ground reporting.
Authoritativeness & Trust
A respected figure in Indian media, Nikhila is not only a seasoned reporter but also an accomplished author and editor. She authored the critically acclaimed book The Ferment: Youth Unrest in India and edited Caste is Not a Rumour, a collection of writings by Rohith Vemula. Her dual background in daily news reporting and long-form authorship allows her to provide readers with a nuanced, historically-informed perspective on contemporary Indian society.
Find all stories by Nikhila Henry here. ... Read More
