Hyderabad HC orders probe into killing of red sanders smugglers

HYDERABAD: The high court in Hyderabad has directed the police to probe the killing of 20 alleged red sanders smugglers in Andhra Pradesh, which sparked protests by opposition parties in the state and neighbouring Tamil Nadu and conspicuous silence by AP chief minister Chandrababu Naidu.

Responding to a petition filed by AP Civil Liberties Committee member Raghunath on Wednesday, the court ordered the state director general of police JV Ramudu to submit its report in two days.

The Andhra police said on Wednesday they had arrested 14 smugglers and seized six vehicles and red sanders wood worth Rs 2.4 lakh from them. The arrests were made a day after the police shot dead the 20 alleged smugglers, many of whom were said to be labourers from Tamil Nadu.

When contacted, Raghunath said that going by the bullet wounds on the bodies and the placement of red sanders at the site, the civil rights body suspected it was a cold-blooded massacre by the police and sought a probe by CBI.

“The court has issued interim orders by directing the police to register the crime, preserve the bodies in proper condition to enable post-mortem by forensic experts and identify the bodies to hand them over to the kith and kin. By posting further hearing to Friday, the court has asked police to submit the compliance report by then,” Raghunath told ET.

Several groups protested in parts of Tamil Nadu and disrupted bus services from Andhra. The Tamil Nadu government announced an exgratia payment of Rs 3 lakh each for the families of those killed.

Leaders of the ruling TDP in AP defended the police action. “It was a decision by the combing team on the spot in self-defence when hundreds of red sander wood cutters attacked them with stones, sickles, rods and axes,” said AP deputy chief minister Nimmakayala Chinarajappa.