BJP alleges phone tapping under Harish Rawat government, demands probe

DEHRADUN: BJP today alleged that 378 phones were tapped in Uttarakhand during the former Congress government and demanded a high level probe into it as the party suspected the role of then Chief Minister Harish Rawat. As many as 378 phones were tapped between July 2015 and March 31, 2016 without the knowledge of the state Home Secretary, BJP alleged.

The phones tapped belonged to politicians, journalists and even MLAs, some of whom have severed ties with Rawat, said a memorandum of BJP.

It was a violation not only of their right to privacy but also of a Supreme Court ruling which has defined the circumstances under which such an action can be carried out and that too not without the recommendation of either the Union Home Secretary or the state Home Secretary, it said.

The party doubts the role of the then CM in the episode and demanded that a high level probe be immediately ordered into it to bring out the truth. The memorandum carries over half a dozen signatures including those of party unit's general secretary Naresh Bansal, party spokesmen Vinay Goel and Virendra Singh Bisht.

Accusing Rawat of misusing the state government's social media accounts, the party also demanded a high level inquiry into it and into the "irregular manner" in which power tariffs were revised by Uttarakhand Power Corporation Ltd in the past two years.