2 states spar over Chittoor ‘encounter’
9 April 2015 5:06 AM IST
The gunning down of 20 alleged red sanders wood smugglers in Andhra Pradesh has led to a face-off between the Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu governments. Seeking to know whether the Andhra Pradesh Task Force personnel acted with adequate restraint on the ‘smugglers’, 20 of whom were killed, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam on Tuesday shot off a letter to his Andhra Pradesh counterpart N Chandrababu Naidu, asking for a “credible and speedy enquiry” into the matter.
According to reports from Chittoor, six police personnel were also injured in what the police claimed was an attack by the smugglers allegedly armed with sickles, axes and country-made weapons. According to the police, the task force and forest personnel, in a joint operation, spotted over 200 red sanders woodcutters involved in felling trees and asked them to surrender.
“The smugglers, armed with sickles, axes, swords, country-made weapons and stones, attacked the police and forest personnel. Six policemen were injured in the incident,” said Deputy Inspector General of Police (Special Task Force) M Kantha Rao.
The incident took place at two places in the Seshachalam forest area of Chandragiri Mandal in Chittoor between 5 and 6am. “They (red sander smugglers) have a history of attacking forest personnel and policemen. Two forest officials were stoned to death by red sander cutters in Seshachalam forest in December 2013,” Rao said.
However, Rao’s claim has been pooh-poohed by Tamil Nadu political parties, who said unarmed labourers were brutally killed by the Andhra Police. “I am distressed to learn that 20 people died of bullet injuries in an operation conducted by the Andhra Pradesh Anti-Smuggling Task Force personnel in Srivarimettu and Eesagunda areas in Seshachala forest area early this morning,” said
Panneerselvam said in a letter to Naidu.
“Many of these people are reportedly from Tiruvannamalai and Vellore districts of Tamil Nadu,” he added. “While it is possible that these people may have been engaged in illegal activities, the occurrence of such high casualties in the operation raises concerns whether the Task Force personnel acted with adequate restraint,” Panneerselvam said.
Andhara Police Additional DGP (law and order) RP Thakur said, “They were carrying red sander logs and attacked the police and forest personnel with sickles and firearms. They also attacked the personnel with stones.”
Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), taking a suo moto cognizance, has issued notices to Andhra Pradesh over the killing of 20 people, saying the incident involved a “serious violation of human rights”. NHRC Member Justice D. Murugesan who is camping in Thiruvananthapuram observed that the incident involved a serious violation of human rights and the opening of firing cannot be justified on the ground of self-defence since it resulted in the death of 20 people.
The Andhra Pradesh government had in June 2013 formed a Special Task Force to check smuggling of red sanders. The STF comprises officers from the police and forest departments. The officials have been carrying out raids on the hideouts across Kadapa, Chittoor, Nellore and Kurnool districts.
According to reports from Chittoor, six police personnel were also injured in what the police claimed was an attack by the smugglers allegedly armed with sickles, axes and country-made weapons. According to the police, the task force and forest personnel, in a joint operation, spotted over 200 red sanders woodcutters involved in felling trees and asked them to surrender.
“The smugglers, armed with sickles, axes, swords, country-made weapons and stones, attacked the police and forest personnel. Six policemen were injured in the incident,” said Deputy Inspector General of Police (Special Task Force) M Kantha Rao.
The incident took place at two places in the Seshachalam forest area of Chandragiri Mandal in Chittoor between 5 and 6am. “They (red sander smugglers) have a history of attacking forest personnel and policemen. Two forest officials were stoned to death by red sander cutters in Seshachalam forest in December 2013,” Rao said.
However, Rao’s claim has been pooh-poohed by Tamil Nadu political parties, who said unarmed labourers were brutally killed by the Andhra Police. “I am distressed to learn that 20 people died of bullet injuries in an operation conducted by the Andhra Pradesh Anti-Smuggling Task Force personnel in Srivarimettu and Eesagunda areas in Seshachala forest area early this morning,” said
Panneerselvam said in a letter to Naidu.
“Many of these people are reportedly from Tiruvannamalai and Vellore districts of Tamil Nadu,” he added. “While it is possible that these people may have been engaged in illegal activities, the occurrence of such high casualties in the operation raises concerns whether the Task Force personnel acted with adequate restraint,” Panneerselvam said.
Andhara Police Additional DGP (law and order) RP Thakur said, “They were carrying red sander logs and attacked the police and forest personnel with sickles and firearms. They also attacked the personnel with stones.”
Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), taking a suo moto cognizance, has issued notices to Andhra Pradesh over the killing of 20 people, saying the incident involved a “serious violation of human rights”. NHRC Member Justice D. Murugesan who is camping in Thiruvananthapuram observed that the incident involved a serious violation of human rights and the opening of firing cannot be justified on the ground of self-defence since it resulted in the death of 20 people.
The Andhra Pradesh government had in June 2013 formed a Special Task Force to check smuggling of red sanders. The STF comprises officers from the police and forest departments. The officials have been carrying out raids on the hideouts across Kadapa, Chittoor, Nellore and Kurnool districts.
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