Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Thursday presented job appointment orders to the family members of 20 woodcutters who were killed by Andhra Forest officials in April.
One member from each of the 20 woodcutters’ families will be given a job by the Tamil Nadu government.
The alleged encounter took place in a forest in Chittoor. Police officials had said that a joint operation against the smugglers was launched with the help of forest officials in Seshachalam forest near Tirupati. The encounter started after the Red Sanders Anti-Smuggling Task Force (RSASTF) and forest officials spotted the alleged smugglers inside the forest area.
Andhra Pradesh Police officials had said that about 100 red sandalwood smugglers were intercepted by the joint team. The smugglers had attacked the RSASTF and forest officials with stones and axes following which the security agencies opened fire killing at least 20 smugglers
A police official had said that two teams both of which included men from the forest department and RSASTF went sent into the jungles to carry out the operation.
