Chittoor/Chennai, April 7: Twenty alleged red sanders smugglers were Tuesday gunned down by police in Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor district but political parties in neighbouring Tamil Nadu condemned the “brutal” police action in which they claimed 12 victims were labourers from their state.
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.
The task force and forest personnel, during a joint combing operation, spotted over 200 red sanders woodcutters involved in felling trees and they were asked to surrender.
“However, the smugglers, armed with sickles, axes, swords, country-made weapons and stones, attacked the police and forest personnel injuring six policemen,” Deputy Inspector General of Police (special task force) M Kantha Rao said. In retaliation, when the police fired in self-defence, 20 of the smugglers were killed and many others fled the scene, he said.
However, there was strong reaction from political parties in Tamil Nadu to the incident.
DMK, BJP, PMK and CPI claimed that poor labourers from the state were among the victims and asked the Andhra Pradesh government to “pursue lawful means” to check red sanders smuggling.
Claiming that they were innocent labourers from Tamil Nadu who were lured with higher wages to forests in neighbouring Chittoor, PMK chief Ramadoss said their being shot down without even an inquiry was unacceptable. Dismissing claims of AP police, he said “it was a plain lie” and demanded a probe by a sitting judge of Supreme Court.PTI