The stolen wood could have been retrieved from them rather than killing them, the NCST said.
The national scheduled tribes commission has called for a CBI probe into the gunning down of 20 persons in Andhra Pradesh and also slammed the Special Task Force which carried out the operation earlier this month as it alleged that they had failed to follow the proper protocol. In its report, the team headed by National Commission for Scheduled Tribes Vice Chairperson Ravi Thakur -- which visited the site of the incident -- observed that the crime committed by those who were killed by Andhra Pradesh police was that of theft of timber. "It is not necessary to take the extreme step of murdering these people for the crime they have committed. The stolen wood could have been retrieved from them rather than killing them as life is more precious than sandalwood," the report said while recommending a CBI probe into the matter.
The Special Task Force (STF) had claimed that the April 7 operation in the Seshachalam hill ranges in Chittoor district of AP was undertaken as part of a crackdown on the smuggling of red sanders. The NCST team has also charged that the proper protocol was not followed by the STF team as it did not inform the relevant authorities about their presence in the area. "The site of incident is a place near to the border of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu and falls in the constituency of the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. On account of this, more alertness should have been kept in handling cases of this nature and Tamil Nadu police should also have been taken into confidence," the report added.
The NCST team noted that 13 of the deceased belonged to the Scheduled Tribes and also claimed that all of them were killed at one spot. "During the visit to the incident site, I could not find even a single sandalwood tree in the locality. The area is not a forest area, only small bushes are seen here and there. "It has been reported that nine people were killed in one spot and 11 others at another spot. But I could see that all of them were killed in one spot," Thakur said in his report.
The report also said that there is no clarity as to from whom "instructions" for movement to the spot were received and who ordered the firing.
The NSCT panel toured Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh on April 17 and 18 and also discussed the issue with various officials. The commission has sought that both state governments take serious action against agents, brokers and smugglers while ensuring compensation for the deceased persons. NCST Chairman Rameshwar Oraon said that the report has been sent to both the AP and TN governments.
Supreme Court on April 27 had declined to entertain petitions seeking a CBI probe or court-monitored inquiry into the killing of 20 people with a bench headed by Chief Justice HL Dattu saying that the high court at Hyderabad and the National Human Rights Commission were already looking into the incident.
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