National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, has recommended a CBI enquiry into Chittoor encounter case in which 20 sandalwood smugglers were allegedly killed in firing in Seshachalam forests by the Special Task Force of Andhra Pradesh comprising police and forest officials.
The Commission has also recommended an interim relief of five lakh rupees to the kin of those killed in the encounter and sought a compliance report from the state government about payment within eight weeks. The human rights watchdog observed that there was serious violation of human rights. It said the victims were very poor and their families which are suffering under deprivation cannot be allowed to starve and die waiting for the final outcome of the enquiry.
The Special Task Force which carried out the operation at Seshachalam forests of Andhra Pradesh last month had claimed that the operation was undertaken as part of a crackdown on the smuggling of red sanders.