Tamil Nadu CM O Paneerselvam seeks `credible inquiry' in red sander smuggling case

CHENNAI: The killing of 20 alleged smugglers by the Andhra Pradesh police has sparked anger and a political backlash in Tamil Nadu from where 12 of the men hailed. Chief minister O Paneerselvam, writing to his Andhra counterpart Chandrababu Naidu, has sought a “credible and speedy inquiry“ into the incident and questioned if the anti-smuggling taskforce that shot them “acted with adequate restraint.“ “Even if the persons had been engaged in illicit tree cutting, efforts could have been made to apprehend them rather than take such drastic action,“ he said.

Parts of Tamil Nadu witnessed tense moments with incidents of stone-throwing on Andhra Pradesh-bound buses being reported.The Andhra Club in Chennai received threat calls and saw protests outside its premises by fringe political parties, causing police to step up security.

Senior police officials were rushed to the bordering Thiruvannamalai and Vellore districts to as sess the situation as most of the alleged smugglers who were killed in the encounter were said to be from these districts. Almost all political parties in Tamil Nadu unequivocally condemned the incident.

M Karunanidhi blamed lapses on the part of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu state governments. “In the past many months, such incidents have been occurring and the two governments did not take efforts to find a solution jointly to the situation because of which things have come to a state where 20 people have been killed today.“

MDMK leader Vaiko said, “While the big fish of smuggling were walking free, it is labourers who are shot and killed.“