Holes In Police Narrative on Forest Massacre Exposed

Debunking police version, CPI leader Reddy said it appeared as though they were shot dead somewhere, the bodies brought and thrown around at two places.

VIJAYAWADA: The police narrative on the biggest-ever ‘encounter’ in the State, in which 20 persons, a majority of whom were tribal workers from Tamil Nadu, were killed in the Seshachalam jungles, has only raised more questions.

Timeline: May, 15 3 Booked for Smuggling Sanders  April, 20 Red Sanders Smuggling Kingpins Close to TDP, Claims PMK Copycat FIRs Further Dent AP Police Encounter Theory More Questions Out Over Copycat FIRs Safari Out, Fortuner in for CM April, 13 Seshachalam Killings Presage AP Govt's Decision to Enter Red Sanders Trade   AP Police Nab 61 More Woodcutters from TN, Refuse to File FIR against Task Force Personnel  Massacre of Tamil Nadu Woodcutters tied to AP's Plan to Enter Red Sanders Trade?   Cold-blooded Murder: Rights Team  Cops Refuse to File FIR; 61 Loggers Held April, 12 AP Police Continue Crackdown on Sandal Smuggling; 63 Woodcutters From TN Arrested TN Should Implead in Plea for CBI probe Into AP Killings: PMK AP Must Go for CBI Probe, Says Minister Tribals Stay Put in AP Jungle Risking their Lives Yet more Evidence of Mass Murder From Man on run Activists do Spot Test, Encounter Police Lies AP Police Arrest 12 Redwood Smugglers from Nellore Jungles Over 40 Tamil Nadu Woodcutters Still Holed Up in Seshachalam Rights Leaders Find 'Holes' in Encounter Theory AP Cops Continue Combing Operations, Nab 12 Red Sanders Smugglers April, 11 Naidu Assures TN CM of Speedy Probe llegal Cutting of Red Sanders to be Made Non-bailable Offence Commendable Job by Andhra Cops in Seshachalam: DGP MK Seeks Judicial Probe  Go to SC or Andhra HC for 2nd Autopsy Andhra Pradesh DGP Defends Trigger Happy Team, Commends Task Force Strict Vigil on TN-AP Border to Keep Protestors at Bay April, 10 More Evidence on Pre-arrest Punches Holes in Encounter  Combat Weapons Used in AP Encounter AP Government Rules out Ex Gratia for Slain Woodcutters High Court Orders to Preserve Body of Victim Agent Bait Turned Out to be Deathtrap: Families AP Sees Brigand Parallel, says no to Solatium 6 Bodies in Tiruvannamalai GH; 7 Cremated in Dharmapuri April, 9 Autopsy Reveals TN Loggers Killed at Close Range  Hired for Stamina, Deep Knowledge of the Woods Andhra Bank, Devasthanam Feel TN Heat  Kin Had No Clue Deceased Were Into Smuggling APSRTC Buses Suspend Trips to TN Murder to Shield Top Red Wood Smuggler Willful killing by Cops, Say Ramadoss, Stalin April, 8 A Saga of Killings on Both Sides Combing Started Two Days Ago: Officer HRF Cries Foul over Encounters  TN Woodcutters Taking High Risk? Mother of All Encounters Police Story Raises a Number of Questions Outrage in TN; Parties Chorus Against Killing Fort City, Transit Point for Red Sander Smuggling Network OPS Calls for Speedy Probe into AP Killings Cops Lethargy let Kingpins Have a Free Run in City

The routine police explanation of acting in self defence, was given by DGP J V Ramudu. In ‘encounters’ of this nature, it is only the outlaws who die while the police do not suffer any losses, not even bruises.

Police were combing the area after clear inputs that the smugglers were felling red sander trees, Ramudu said.

According to him, firing was necessitated as smugglers began attacking the police. He said it was yet to be ascertained who were the smugglers and who were the workers.

The scene of offence presented a picture that did not support a genuine encounter theory, opined many of those who had visited the spot.

Debunking the police version, CPI leader T Harinath Reddy said it appeared as though they were shot dead somewhere and the bodies brought and thrown around at two places.

“There were no marks of blood that should ooze from the wounds. That workers had attacked the police is a far-fetched theory. The weapons being shown as ones used in the attack are a poor give-away. The axe blade is rusted and had not been used for long. Worse still, it had no handle. Then, the red sander logs lying in between the bodies appear to have been brought from forest department depots since they still have white paint on them.

“The way the death occurred did not suggest any genuine encounter since the place where the bodies were found was a plain area in the forest and does not give any scope for an exchange of fire. There were no bushes or trees and the victims did not appear to have run for life either,” he argued.

Further, the police claim of sighting the smugglers in the early hours in the jungle is being questioned.

“It may not be possible for the workers to attack the police nor the police shoot at them precisely in the head or on the limbs unless they happened to have been practising shooting at night. This itself is a big hole in the police theory,” Reddy said.

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