Police killed 20 alleged smugglers of red sanders (rare red sandalwood) in a fierce encounter in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, 450 km South of Hyderabad, on Tuesday morning.
Kantha Rao, DIG Special Task Force (STF), confirmed the incident. “There were two incidents at different places in Seshachalam forest in Chandragiri mandal where the smugglers attacked the forest department and police personnel. Police opened fire in self-defence killing 20 smugglers,” he said.
However, in Tamil Nadu, DMK, BJP, PMK, Congress and CPI claimed that poor labourers from the State were shot dead by the AP Police.
Chittoor is one of the districts of Andhra Pradesh where smuggling of sandalwood is rampant, causing massive loss of revenue to the State Government. The smugglers, most of them from neighbouring Tamil Nadu were active in the forest areas, illegally cutting the trees and smuggling red sanders, with huge demand globally.
Giving details of the incident, Rao told the media that the police launched combing operations in the forest on Monday night on receiving information that nearly 200 smugglers were cutting down sandalwood trees.
“During the search operations the smugglers attacked the STF and the forest department personnel with axes, knives and stones, forcing the police to open fire in self-defence,” he said and added that nine smugglers were killed at Eetagunta and 11 at Pachinodu.
“Red sanders smugglers have a history of attacking forest personnel and policemen. Two forest officials were stoned to death by red sanders cutters in Seshachalam forest in December 2013,” Rao said.
The police claimed that six of its personnel were also injured in the attack by the smugglers. When the police fired in retaliation, 20 of the smugglers were killed and many others fled the scene.
State Home Minister Nimmakayala Chinarajappa said that those killed included two international smugglers. “The police are continuing the search for the smugglers who escaped.”
In Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh Director-General of Police JV Ramudu reviewed the incident with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
While the AP police was touting the killing of 20 smugglers as a big success in the drive against illegal sandalwood and timber trade, the incident evoked a strong outcry from the Tamil Nadu Government.
Chief Minister O Panneerselvam has written a letter to Naidu demanding an independent enquiry into the nature of the incident and how the people were killed.
Interestingly, a similar demand was also raised by the AP State Congress president N Raghuveera Reddy. He said that the party will approach the State Human Rights Commission to seek a probe into the incident.
Panneerselvam expressed his concern over such a high casualty rate. Another prominent TN politician and MDMK party president Vaiko said: “While police have every right to arrest and prosecute offenders, shooting them dead like birds is unacceptable”.
Chittoor district has witnessed many such incidents in the past in which alleged red sanders smugglers were killed by the police. Andhra Pradesh Human Rights Forum General Secretary VS Krishna alleged that many such incidents turned out to be one sided firing by the police and not an encounter.
In Tamil Nadu, DMK, BJP, PMK, Congress 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 smuggling of red sanders.
Dismissing claims of Andhra Pradesh police that they opened fire in self-defence, he said “it was a plain lie” and demanded a probe by a sitting judge of Supreme Court besides seeking relief to those killed and action against police officials.
DMK chief Karunanidhi, in a statement said, Governments of both the States should announce relief to the families of the labourers killed in the exchange of fire.
Red sanders, an endangered species also called red sandalwood, has a huge demand abroad, specially in China and Japan, and commands a good price. It is grown mainly in Seshachalam hill ranges spread across Kadapa, Chittoor and Kurnool in Rayalaseema region and parts of Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh.
In view of the rampant smuggling of red sanders, the Naidu Government after taking charge last year had formed a task force to combat the menace. An auction of the seized red sanders by the State Government last year fetched Rs 1,000 crore.