Police at the site in Chittoor where 20 alleged red sanders smugglers were killed last week
Tamil Nadu's actor-lawmaker Sarath Kumar has questioned last week's controversial encounter killing of 20 men from Tamil Nadu -- who were allegedly red sanders smugglers -- in the forests of Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh. His party, the All India Samathuva Makkal Katchi, an ally of the ruling AIADMK, is planning to write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking a CBI probe into the deaths.
Mr Kumar, who is the legislator from Tenkasi, also plans to write to the Andhra Pradesh government demanding Rs 10 lakh as ex gratia for the families of those killed, say party sources.
The Tamil Nadu government has announced an ex gratia of Rs 3 lakh. But the Andhra Pradesh government claims the deceased men were smugglers and hence there is no call for paying compensation to their families.
The Andhra Pradesh police claimed the men were killed after they attacked a task force team of forest officials and armed guards.
But three witnesses have deposed before the National Human Rights Commission, alleging that the men were killed in a fake encounter. The Hyderabad High Court has ordered a second autopsy on the bodies of six men after their families approached the court.