20 woodcutters from TN gunned by A.P. police

[Kalia_Test]

Then how are you comparing cutting some trees with shooting someone down in cold blood? (post 15)

MTC bhai - don't you think the bolded part is speculation as of now? Why are we so quick in passing judgement?

[Shivaji bhonsle]

That's really really sad. Not sure many of them even know it was illegal to cut these trees. Kingpins are hiding and the poor dalit laborers are shot dead for cutting trees. Feel so sad watching a news clip and the pictures.

[coffee_rules]

Now TN Govt announces compensation. The situation will get tricky... http://www.deccanherald.com/content/470506/tamil-nadu-compensate-families-20.html

The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday announced a compensation of Rs.3 lakh each to families of the 20 people, mostly Tamils, killed by police in Andhra Pradesh as sporadic protests took place in Tamil Nadu against the widely condemned killings. As a section of lawyers urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure justice to those slain "in cold blood", the Tamil Nadu government said it would pay ex-gratia to the families of those killed in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday while allegedly smuggling the precious red sanders wood.

[Kalia_Test]

OK... Time for me to sleep now but before that I will post couple of things and a small story You would have read in news in last 3-4 months that AP Govt auctioned Red Sander wood worth 1000 crores ( and it is not even the full stuff that has been seized ) http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/ap-garners-nearly-rs-1-000-crore-from-red-sanders-e-auction-114120201125_1.html

Meeting expectations, a global e-auction of red sanders, a valued item in traditional medicines and woodcraft in Asia, has fetched Andhra Pradesh government Rs 991 crore on a sale volume of 4,160 metric tons.

Hope people are getting an idea of the scale and value of Red Sanders that is available only in Seshachalam hills in AP ( little in TN and Karnataka but miniscule ). There are many alleged uses of this - ranging from medication, sculpture and most importantly Nuclear Radiation http://www.newindianexpress.com/thesundaystandard/Chinese-Timber-Mafia-Gets-a-New-Red-Sanders-Route/2014/01/12/article1995456.ece

Did you know that red sanders or red sandalwood works as an excellent absorbent of nuclear radiation? Found only in Andhra Pradesh in India, this rare wood is in great demand in China for its utility as a nuclear reactor coolant. Or so the smugglers want us to believe. And custom officials here are seeing red over this smuggling of red sanders by the reds. “We never had cases of passengers carrying red sanders in hand baggage but in 2013 we detained 55 Chinese nationals carrying the pricey wood in various forms in their hand baggage at Delhi airport,” said a senior official.

According to the WCCB, 85 cases of red sanders smuggling were detected at exit points including ports, foreign post offices and international airports across the country in 2013. The total seizure was 44,000 kilograms, the highest ever. “There has been a change in the modus operandi of red sanders smuggling. Earlier, it used to be smuggled in the form of big logs through ports and containers but now it is being carried in small quantities but very frequently in the hand baggage,” the official said. The favourite destination continues to remain China, US and Japan, but there is an emerging market in the Middle East countries. “Another trend we have noticed is among the people detained with red sanders. They don’t stay for long in India and most of them arrive in the evening and leave the next morning with the consignment but they make frequent trips,” the official said.

OK... Point I was making is that Red Sanders is no ordinary Dubai ka chashma smuggling. It is really really high-profile. Last year's AP elections have been funded largely from this money You can say I am speculating but search for this and you will know. Now, let me take you guys over a decade ago. There was a murder attempt on Chandrababu Naidu in Alipiri http://www.thehindu.com/2003/10/02/stories/2003100207560100.htm

The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, today survived an attempt on his life when suspected People's War naxalites exploded improvised claymore mines targeting his motorcade on the Tirumala ghat road at 4.15 p.m. Mr. Naidu suffered fractures on his right hand and collar bone and minor injuries on the chest and nose. The impact of the blast was such that Mr. Naidu's bullet-proof car was hurled in the air. The explosion left a huge crater on the road. The car was virtually reduced to metal scrap, but its interior was intact. A catastrophe was averted because the car could absorb the impact of the powerful blast.

However...there is a link.... Enter Gangi Reddy, the kingpin of Red Sander smuggling. He is the one believed to use maoists to send Chandrababu up into the sky. Now what happens? As soon as Chandrababu wins the election last year in May.... http://www.deccanchronicle.com/140523/nation-crime/article/n-chandrababu-naidu-attacker-gives-policemen-slip

Hyderabad: An accused who was involved in an attack on Chief Minister designate N. Chandrababu Naidu in 2003 has escaped to Dubai as the police tried to track him down after the election results, suspecting him to be a possible security threat to the CM designate. Gangi Reddy, a known Red Sanders smuggler hailing from Vathuluru in Pullampeta mandal of Kadapa, is believed to have fled to Dubai from Hyderabad on May 21. He jumped bail in a Red Sanders case booked against him in Kurnool. Though he was acquitted in the 2003 claymore mine blast attack case on Mr Naidu, police agencies assessing the security threats began tracking him down from May 17, the day after the results were out. Gangi Reddy had allegedly helped Naxals in carrying out the claymore mine attack on Mr Naidu when he was on his way to Tirumala. Fearing that the police would target him, Gangi Reddy is suspected to have fled the country. A senior police official said, “Gangi Reddy had supplied cellphones and supported Maoists financially in the attack on Naidu. After we started the hunt for him, he sensed trouble and fled to the UAE.”

Obviously Babu was pissed off... Now, recently...4-5 weeks back

Kollam Gangi Reddy, wanted in a number of red sanders smuggling cases, was arrested by Interpol in Mauritius while he was trying to board a flight to Sri Lanka, according to information reaching police and Forest Department officials here. A top Forest Department official in Hyderabad described it as a big catch, which would lead to the unravelling of international ramifications of smuggling of red sanders, endemic to forests in Chittoor and Kadapa districts. Gangi Reddy had jumped bail in one of the smuggling cases and has been on the run for the last nine months. Besides a host of red sanders smuggling cases, Gangi Reddy was one of the several accused in the attack on Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in 2003 at Alipiri but got acquitted. After the 2014 general elections, Gangi Reddy fled to Dubai, as police launched a search for him, suspecting him to be a possible threat to Mr. Naidu.

There is another twist on YSR Congress ( of whom this Gangireddy became member ) and Tamil connection...but its too late in night for me now... ---------------------------- Kindly note that my post is not an attempt at all to speculate on what happened in the 'encounter'. I have no idea and am not taking sides. Just wanted to present publicly available info on this. There are very big powers and it is certainly not a laborers vs police constables issue IMO though I also believe everyone who has commited offense should be punished legally

[amiret]

What do you think would be the motive for police to kill poor and weak laborers? Do you think the policemen are sadists? They will do it because THEY wanted to do it?

It is a misconception that motive is necessary to commit gruesome murders. Sometimes people can kill without any apparent motive. Even the Police. Last year 17 Dehradun COPS from were convicted of murdering Ranbir Singh an MBA student in cold blood. The kid was not a terrorist and had no criminal background .

The encounter was staged and he was shot at point-blank range 30 times. The police personnel after torturing Ranbir Singh in custody for over 2 hours dragged the badly bruised Singh out of one of the four police vehicles in the Ladpur jungles and laid him down before firing 30 shots from close range.. No policeman was injured. "They (police) put him in a jeep and took him deep in the jungle. The 11 bullets we found buried seven inches deep in ground clearly suggest that the policemen laid him down and fired at him from close range."While some bullets pierced his body, there were other shots that missed him. The recovery of the bullets suggest that the shots were fired from three firearms "

[urbestfriend]

There is no way we cant condemn killing of 20 lives..! Gruesome and pathetic by AP police. It is nothing but terrorism! Those who died are poor laborers, non-minority poor in India dont have any value for their life. Where is the media's outburst now when they went on and on for one or two encounter killings in Gujarath for years?

[Captain]

Woodcutters? They were smuggling Red sanders which is worth around 1.9 Crore INR per ton.Last year,three forest guards were killed by these "Woodcutters".The DGP of AP said that known associates of Veerappan have been identified with these smuggling rings and that Forest guards are afraid of entering the forest after last year's incident.Money from Red sanders smuggling is huge and the elections in AP were funded to an extent with the state's property. I'm not supporting the action of the AP police but stop trying to potray these smugglers as innocent woodcutters.

[Raghav_12]

Woodcutters? They were smuggling Red sanders which is worth around 1.9 Crore INR per ton.Last year,three forest guards were killed by these "Woodcutters".The DGP of AP said that known associates of Veerappan have been identified with these smuggling rings and that Forest guards are afraid of entering the forest after last year's incident.Money from Red sanders smuggling is huge and the elections in AP were funded to an extent with the state's property. I'm not supporting the action of the AP police but stop trying to potray these smugglers as innocent woodcutters.

Yes. Police had enough of these smugglers and they were menace in the area. Forest officers and Police were not feeling safe enough. Apparently police decided to do something to instill fear in the mind of these smugglers and associates. But all these circumstances don't absolve police of murders they carried out. There are all accouts to suggest that these killed were actually wood-cuuters who were hired by smugglers on daily wages. If problems are supposed to be solved with such level of brutality, we don't need police force. Just empploy some gun-trotting goons who would shoot anybody not following orders.

[CSK Fan]

MTC bhai - don't you think the bolded part is speculation as of now? Why are we so quick in passing judgement?

Even the police say they were not armed?

[Captain]

Yes. Police had enough of these smugglers and they were menace in the area. Forest officers and Police were not feeling safe enough. Apparently police decided to do something to instill fear in the mind of these smugglers and associates. But all these circumstances don't absolve police of murders they carried out. There are all accounts to suggest that these killed were actually wood-cuuters who were hired by smugglers on daily wages. If problems are supposed to be solved with such level of brutality, we don't need police force. Just empploy some gun-trotting goons who would shoot anybody not following orders.

Of course the circumstances don't absolve the police of these murders.It was a drastic step and the officers involved in this incident should be dealt harshly.

[Kalia_Test]

Even the police say they were not armed?

I might have missed this but what I had read seemed to suggest there were axes and stones thrown at Police?

[urbestfriend]

The Andhra Pradesh police version of events with regards to the killing of 20 red sanders smugglers in Chittoor district has received a crippling blow after a 'witness' has come forward to say that he saw seven of the supposed 'smugglers' dragged off a bus by Andhra Pradesh policemen near the border between the two states, mere hours before the incident. The man, identified as a labourer named Sekhar from Murugapandi village, reportedly said that he had been sitting on the same bus, when police had boarded and picked passengers off it. The Indian Express spoke to villagers as well as some of Sekar's relatives, to whom he had spoken after the incident. He had reportedly told them that he had been spared "because he was sitting next to a woman and police thought he was her husband". AFP AFP The report adds that Sekhar had told villagers he was with D Mahendran, a plumber who had offered to help him find the job of a carpenter. The Express narrates his account as follows: "Mahendran had a window seat. A middle-aged woman was in the middle seat and Sekhar next to her. A few kilometres before the Andhra check-post, the bus stopped. A police team entered the bus through the rear door and started picking up passengers, one at a time. The police took Mahendran with them but spared him because they thought he was the woman passenger’s husband." The Times of India notes that soon after the incident, Sekhar said he got off the bus at the next stop and returned to his village. Since then he has reportedly been in hiding, because he is afraid that the police will catch and kill him for speaking out. However he has been in touch with some reporters, and also reportedly gave a statement to a Tamil television channel. Reports said that Sekhar could appear before the National Human Rights Commission which is probing the incident. Villagers have also told reporters that after the 'encounter', police had come by with photographs of the men to the village, and asked that they be identified. The damning statement by Sekhar comes on top of a number of glaring discrepancies in the police version of events, which was that the encounter had taken place while members of the Red Sanders Anti-Smuggling Special Task Force (RSASTF) had been engaged in combing operations in Srinivasa Mangapuram, Srivarimettu and Eethangunta and wood cutters engaged in chopping down the rare trees had attacked them with stones and axes. The police have maintained that they acted in self defence. However for one thing, as pointed out in this Indian Express report, "At one of the two sites where bodies were found, seven of the nine dead had been shot in the face or the back of the head. Many had burn injuries — on the abdomen, shoulders and hands, the skin peeling off". The police had said that the 'burn' marks had been caused by the 'summer heat'. And as pointed out by Firstpost senior editor G Pramod Kumar, "How is it possible in an armed melee, that too one which took place in the woods, that the task force members were able to take aim at the victims’ faces and the backs of their heads? If it was indeed in self defence as they claim, where are the injuries of the task force members? Reportedly, only two of them were injured. Do two injuries warrant a firing that killed 20 people?" The Times of India added that "the logs strewn near the bodies were evidently not fresh: A few of them had numbers neatly painted on them and could have been from an earlier seizure." Also raising suspicion was the fact that there were no red sanders trees in the vicinity of the location where the encounter had taken place. The TOI report also quoted CPI's P Harinath Reddy , who visited the spots, as saying that the knives the men were found with were rusted. “They could not have used them to cut anything. It's a staged encounter.The government is targeting workers instead of going after contractors who employ them to smuggle wood,“ he told the newspaper. A fresh report in Times of India today added that "some bodies appeared to have been dragged from another place. None of the trees on the periphery of the clearing where the bodies were found had bullet marks. While the STF said there were more than 100 people carrying logs, only about 20 logs were recovered - as many as the men killed." also see After 20 red sander 'smugglers' died in enounter killing, Andhra Pradesh cops detain 14 more After 20 red sander 'smugglers' died in enounter killing, Andhra Pradesh cops detain 14 more Killing red sander 'smugglers' was summary execution: Andhra Pradesh should be ashamed Killing red sander 'smugglers' was summary execution: Andhra Pradesh should be ashamed CPI(M) demands high-level probe into Andhra killing of 'smugglers', calls it police brutality CPI(M) demands high-level probe into Andhra killing of 'smugglers', calls it police brutality Human rights groups have been up in arms over the incident, that they have described as nothing short of cold blooded murder. A number of civil rights groups have moved courts, and the National Human Rights Commission has asked the government of Andhra Pradesh for a detailed report after one of its members observed that it involved "serious violation" of human rights of the individuals and the firing could not be justified on the ground of self defence. The Home Ministry has also stepped in and asked the government for a report on the incident. PTI reported that Naidu had already explained to the Home Minister the circumstances leading to the killing of the 20 men. A report is expected to follow. The incident has caused widespread anger in Tamil Nadu, with protests across the state. A number of Andhra Pradesh state transport buses were damaged, and security has been stepped up at establishments belonging to people of Andhra origin. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister OP Panneerselvam has also written a strongly-worded letter to Naidu demanding a "credible and speedy" inquiry into the episode and responsibility fixed for possible human rights violations. How the Andhra government reacts to the latest piece of evidence remains to be seen. So far they have been stoutly defending the actions of the police. How long they will be able to do so remains a mystery.

http://www.firstpost.com/india/killed-red-sander-smugglers-were-taken-off-bus-witness-account-punches-holes-in-polices-story-2189937.html terrorists!.

[urbestfriend]

Probably some red-sandalwood mafia who is close to AP govt wanted to take control of the forest, only reason I could think for this gruesome cold-blooded murder.

[Gollum]

OK... Time for me to sleep now but before that I will post couple of things and a small story You would have read in news in last 3-4 months that AP Govt auctioned Red Sander wood worth 1000 crores ( and it is not even the full stuff that has been seized ) http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/ap-garners-nearly-rs-1-000-crore-from-red-sanders-e-auction-114120201125_1.html Hope people are getting an idea of the scale and value of Red Sanders that is available only in Seshachalam hills in AP ( little in TN and Karnataka but miniscule ). There are many alleged uses of this - ranging from medication, sculpture and most importantly Nuclear Radiation http://www.newindianexpress.com/thesundaystandard/Chinese-Timber-Mafia-Gets-a-New-Red-Sanders-Route/2014/01/12/article1995456.ece OK... Point I was making is that Red Sanders is no ordinary Dubai ka chashma smuggling. It is really really high-profile. Last year's AP elections have been funded largely from this money You can say I am speculating but search for this and you will know. Now, let me take you guys over a decade ago. There was a murder attempt on Chandrababu Naidu in Alipiri http://www.thehindu.com/2003/10/02/stories/2003100207560100.htm However...there is a link.... Enter Gangi Reddy, the kingpin of Red Sander smuggling. He is the one believed to use maoists to send Chandrababu up into the sky. Now what happens? As soon as Chandrababu wins the election last year in May.... http://www.deccanchronicle.com/140523/nation-crime/article/n-chandrababu-naidu-attacker-gives-policemen-slip Obviously Babu was pissed off... Now, recently...4-5 weeks back There is another twist on YSR Congress ( of whom this Gangireddy became member ) and Tamil connection...but its too late in night for me now... ---------------------------- Kindly note that my post is not an attempt at all to speculate on what happened in the 'encounter'. I have no idea and am not taking sides. Just wanted to present publicly available info on this. There are very big powers and it is certainly not a laborers vs police constables issue IMO though I also believe everyone who has commited offense should be punished legally

thanks for all that info Kalia :hail:, you always learn something new in ICF.

[Raghav_12]

Tirupati red sanders encounter: Murder case against STF men, Andhra Pradesh informs high court http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/ap-police-file-murder-case-in-chittoor-firing-incident/

With more and more questions being raised on the April 7 killing of 20 people in a Tirupati forest by the red sanders special task force (STF), the Andhra Pradesh government informed the High Court at Hyderabad Wednesday that a murder case had been filed against “unknown” STF personnel involved in the “encounter”. red sanders encounter Additional Advocate General Dammalapati Srinivas informed a division bench comprising Chief Justice Kalyan Jyoti Sengupta and Justice P V Sanjay Kumar that an FIR was filed on a complaint from Muniammal, the widow of a Tamil Nadu woodcutter, at the Chandragiri police station. RELATED High Court Poser To Andhra: Can Cops Be Booked For Murder? Uproar Over Andhra Pradesh, Telangana Encounters: Rajnath Speaks To Chandrababu Naidu, KCR Andhra Pradesh Police Kill 20 Working For ‘Forest Smugglers’, 7 Shot In The Face In her complaint, Muniammal said her husband Sashi and others were daily wage labourers who were going to find work when Andhra Pradesh policemen took them away and shot them dead, that it was not an encounter as police claimed. The Indian Express had first reported how Andhra Pradesh policemen spared Sekhar, one of the men from Vettagiripalayam, as he was seated next to a woman on a bus from Tiruttani to Renigunta while seven others from his village were pulled out and taken to custody, hours before the “encounter”. Sekhar told villagers and his relatives that he was spared because police thought he was the husband of the woman next to him. The killings led to an uproar in Tamil Nadu where political parties condemned the “brutal” police action and said 12 of the dead were labourers from their state. Tamil Nadu chief minister O Panneerselvam wrote to Andhra Pradesh counterpart Chandrababu Naidu, seeking a “credible and speedy inquiry” into the incident. The FIR was registered under IPC sections of murder (302) and kidnapping (364) against unknown personnel of the STF. The High Court was also told that the government was setting up a special investigation team (SIT) to conduct an inquiry. Taking suo motu cognisance of Muniammal’s complaint, the High Court had earlier made her a petitioner in the case filed by Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee (APCLC) which had alleged that it was a case of “murder” and the victims were poor labourers from Tamil Nadu. Muniammal moved an application Wednesday through her counsel seeking directions to the Andhra Pradesh government to once again conduct post-mortem examination of the bodies of her husband and five others by an expert medical team and videograph the entire process. The six bodies are preserved in a government hospital in Tiruvannamalai district of Tamil Nadu. Referring to this, the High Court directed the AAG to file before it by Thursday the post-mortem report and inquest report conducted earlier on the bodies. The matter was subsequently posted for Thursday.

Happy to hear this. Though disappointed that FIRs are against unknown while they very well would know the name of STF personnel who were involved in this "encounter" STF and Forest officials seem to be in deep trouble. Till now there have been three independent eye witnesses who have seen one or more of the killed "smugglers" being picked by police through different places previous night. Two of these witnesses have deposed infront of NHRC in Delhi and third one couldn't as he couldn't travel through air having no ID proof. Story emerging suggests that police picked 20 labors and woodcutters previous night from different places, took them to jungle and shot dead in cold blood. Indian express has done great job in following up with these witnesses and their accounts have been published by them.

[SELVAM]

Money and greediness is the root cause of the all the problems in the world.:((

[amiret]

"Observing that the investigation into the Seshachalam 'encounter' case was not proceeding in the right direction, the Hyderabad high court on Tuesday directed the Special Investigation Team to complete the probe within 60 days. The court asked the SIT to report the progress of the case to it and nobody else. "

With Tuesday's order, the HC practically brought the SIT probe under its control. "You need not take instructions from anyone, not even from the ministers and other authorities, except from the court," the court said in its directive to SIT chief Ravi Shankar Ayyanar. "You are now the team of the court."

"The investigation officer took legal opinion from the public prosecutor even for registering an FIR in the case," the court said while observing that a special public prosecutor needs to be appointed exclusively for the case. "There is no such requirement under the provisions of the criminal procedure code. The public prosecutor too rendered an advice unnecessarily. He should have declined to offer any legal opinion saying that it is not required at this stage.

Moreover, the case dairy contains nothing about the progress of the investigation. No one was questioned so far. From the day this FIR was registered on April 14 to till now, nothing has been done."

All attempts being made to derail the investigation. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Hyderabad-HC-to-monitor-Seshachalam-probe/articleshow/47090467.cms