Telangana: BJP leaders gripe about phone tapping, Central team to probe

Hyderabad: A team of Central officials are expected to look into the complaints of illegal phone tapping and mobile surveillance of the BJP leaders in the State.

The decision comes in the wake of BJP leaders, including MLA elect from Dubbaka M Raghunandan Rao, complaining that their mobile phones were put under surveillance, all through the election campaign and even after the elections were over and the results were out. Raghunandan Rao said he was shocked when one of his party leaders had called him ahead of the poll campaign from his own mobile number. He wondered how one could receive a call from one's own mobile number. He was not the lone case and it was not an isolated incident.

According to party sources, besides Raghunandan Rao, several BJP leaders had similar experiences. They also said they had received from their own mobile numbers. Sensing something fishy, the BJP leaders, including Raghunandan Rao, had to stop receiving calls from their own mobile numbers. Speaking to The Hans India, a party leader said several BJP leaders were suspecting that their mobile phones were under surveillance and they were subjected to phone tapping. Thus, instead of receiving calls on their mobile numbers, they had to depend on other party activists' numbers to talk to leaders and others.

Though the elections are over and results have been out, the BJP leaders in Siddipet and Dubbaka Assembly constituencies are apprehensive about using their mobile phones. They fear that their mobile phones are still under surveillance.

Following these developments, they reportedly briefed their woes to Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy. "Complaints were also lodged alleging that the State and district authorities are illegally kept BJP leaders' phones under surveillance," the leader said. The BJP leaders are seeking the intervention of the Union Home Ministry to probe into these incidents of phone tapping.

Against this backdrop, a team of officials from the Central agencies are expected to look into the contents of the complaints before suggesting the kind of action that the Central agencies can initiate as per the laws.