Even though Andhra Pradesh government has ordered a magistrate inquiry into the encounter of 20 red sandalwood smugglers, protests continued in Tamil Nadu demanding independent probe and action against police personnel. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has also issued notice to AP government seeking a detailed report. However, the Andhra pradesh government is defending the task force operation saying that the killed were smugglers and police was forced to fire at them.
Massive uproar by human rights activists and politicians continued in Chennai and Chittoor over the encounter of 20 alleged red sander smugglers by the Andhra Pradesh police. Over a 100 activists gathered in Chennai demanding action against the officers who were involved in the encounter. Even the bus services between the two states got disrupted after pelting of stones. Several political parties in Tamil nadu have condemned the incident calling it a fake encounter.
Red sander smuggling is rampant in Andhra pradesh. After chandrababu naidu came to power, special task force was created to deal with menace. But this operation has raised several questions. Was proper protocol followed, was any warning given. Allegedly many politicians and influential people are involved in smuggling, question is what is govt doing to catch them.