Kin of woodcutters alleged to be red sanders protest by placing the bodies on the road

CHENNAI: Tension prevailed as the next of kin of two of the 20 woodcutters alleged to be red sanders smugglers gunned down in Andhra Pradesh on Thursday staged protests in Tiruvannamalai district by placing the bodies on the road seeking justice as protests over the killings spilled over for the third day across the State.

The Madras High Court came to the aid of the kin by ordering that bodies of six of the woodcutters be preserved in a mortuary in Tiruvanamalai district till the matter is taken up on Friday. AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa also raised doubts over the genuiness of the “encounter” and urged Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu to launch a fact-finding probe and initiate action based on that.

She also announced a relief of Rs 2 lakh of the next of kin of those killed. Meanwhile, protests continued in some parts of the state for the third consecutive day on Thursday with tension gripping Padavedu in Tiruvannamalai district when relatives of slain Sasikumar and Murugan placed the bodies on road. They sought a probe and enhanced solatium. A scuffle had broken out between police and relatives as they refused to take away the bodies for cremation.

Twelve of the woodcutters hail from Tiruvanamalai district. Red sanders or red sandalwood is a protected species of tree grown in at least four districts of Andhra. The trees are in short supply and fetch thousands of dollars on the global black market. Demand is high in countries such as China and Japan, where the wood is used to make furniture, musical instruments and even toys. The High Court directed preserving the bodies in a mortuary in Thiruvannamalai District Headquarters government hospital, 170 km from here, until tomorrow.

With inputs from PTI