File Photo: Police at the site in Chittoor where 20 alleged red sanders smugglers were killed on April 7.
The post mortem reports of 20 alleged red sanders smugglers killed in a controversial encounter in the forests of Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, were submitted to the Hyderabad High Court today.
The high court is still waiting for a second autopsy of six of the men, conducted in Tamil Nadu by doctors from Hyderabad, and so, has put off a hearing on a demand for a CBI investigation to Wednesday.
The demand has been made by the wife of one of the men who were killed.
Tamil Nadu alleges that the men were killed in cold blood by the police in Andhra Pradesh.
The Andhra Pradesh police claim that the men were notorious smugglers of red sandalwood or red sanders and were killed after they attacked a task force team of forest officials and armed guards. They claim that the team was outnumbered and fired in self-defence.
All 20 men belonged to Tamil Nadu. Two villagers have told the National Human Rights Commission that at least 12 of those shot dead were pulled off a bus and were arrested by the Andhra Pradesh police hours before they were shot dead. The men have claimed that they survived only because they were not with the group at the time.
The Supreme Court has also been asked in two petitions to call a CBI investigation. The case has been adjourned to 27 April.