VELLORE: Investigation into the death of a nine-year-old boy has shown the chilling killing spree of a 21 year-old woman, who eliminated three of her in-laws to keep her extra-marital affair under wraps.
Police said, the woman Shilpa poisoned her sisters-in-law Udhya Kumari (7) in October 2014 and Lakhsmi (8) in February 2015. Police exhumed the two children’s bodies in the presence of Vaniyambadi tahsildar Senthil, DSP of Tirupattur, K Subramaniam and assistant director of forensics K Pari on Thursday. Samples from the bodies were sent for analysis.
Shilpa got married to Udhaya Kumar (29) of Kurusilapet a year ago. The couple was living with Kumar’s father Balu (56) and step brother and sisters. Kumar is an electrician working at construction sites in metro cities and comes home once a week or every ten days.
It is learnt that Shilpa was in a relationship with Saravanan (26) of Palkode before her marriage. She continued the relationship after marriage and frequently spoke to Saravanan on phone.
Fearing that her father-in-law Balu may have sensed the affair, Shilpa and Saravanan decided to eliminate him and the kids who were his second wife’s children.
Udhya Kumari was her first victim. In October last year, Shilpa gave Kumari tea laced with rat poison. After drinking it Kumari took ill and was taken to the Dharmapuri GH, where she died. Doctors treated the child for vomiting and dysentery.
Three months later, Shilpa repeated her ghastly act resulting in Lakshmi’s death on February 19. Shilpa then decided to eliminate Lakshman and Balu and gave them milk laced with rat poison on Saturday.
Balu and his younger son fell ill and were taken to Government Hospital ,Tirupattur. While the boy died, Balu survived.
“Balu told his relatives that Shilpa was behind the death of his nine-year-old son as they both fell ill after drinking the milk,” said the cop investigating the case.
A police complaint was lodged and during interrogation, Shilpa confessed to the killing and disclosed her paramour’s identity.
Shilpa and Saravanan were arrested and lodged in the central prison in Vellore.
AP Encounter: Recast SIT for Fair Investigation, Victims' Kin to tell HC
By J Shanmugha Sundaram
Published:01st May 2015
TIRUVANNAMALAI: Muniyammal, wife of A Sashi Kumar, one of the victims of the alleged encounters carried by Red Sander Anti-Smuggling Task Force (RSASTF) in Seshachalam forest, will approach the Hyderabad High Court on Friday seeking to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising non-AP cadre IPS officers for an unbiased probe into the incident.
The Andhra government has constituted an eight-member team to probe into the encounters, which claimed the lives of 20 Tamils on April 7.
The AP government communicated to the HC that the SIT would be headed by IG of police Ravi Shankar Ayyankar, who has been repatriated from the National Investigation Agency, and would include Chittoor circle inspector S Chandrasekhar.
Muniyammal’s counsel K Balu told Express that they would challenge the SIT as Ayyankar was involved in about 20 encounters during his tenure as SP in Guntur. “The SIT under such an officer will not be an unbiased one and cannot be justified,” he said. The inclusion of Chandrasekhar shows the intention of the AP government to cover up the fake encounter, he said adding, “The Inspector is serving in the disputed Chittoor division where the men were killed. Hence, we want a CBI enquiry or a SIT team comprising IPS officers of non-AP cadre to ascertain facts behind the encounter.”
It Was Massacre, Blatant Violation of Rights: NHRC
Express News Service
Puducherry:
Justice D Murugesan, member of the National Human Rights Commission, on Thursday said the killing of 20 woodcutters from Tamil Nadu in Seshachalam forest by the Andhra special police force and forest officials is a clear case of blatant violation of human rights.
Speaking to reporters at the conclusion of NHRC camp sitting here on Thursday, he termed it as a “massacre”. He said that the NHRC was carrying out a simultaneous investigation into the incident though the AP Special Investigation Team has been conducting a probe.
Justice Murugesan said the matter was before the Hyderabad High Court which has been monitoring the investigation.
NHRC would collect all evidences and would go ahead with its probe abiding by the guidelines of the High Court. Revealing that three witnesses from Tamil Nadu had deposed before the Commission in New Delhi and Puducherry, he said an NHRC team visited the spot to collect information. The witnesses, their family members and relatives would be given police protection by the Director General of Police, Tamil Nadu following their apprehension that their lives were in danger.
Referring to a request by a lawyer on behalf of the residents of nearby areas of the Andhra forest, who have expressed their willingness to give their statements on the issue, he said the NHRC had asked them for a written request on the matter so that the sitting could be held in Chennai.
It may recalled that the witness Ilango (21), a resident of Jamunamarathur, Tiruvannamalai district, had recorded his statement before A K Parashar, joint registrar (law), NHRC in Puducherry on April 15. The NHRC has also recorded statements of Sekar (Thiruvannamalai) and Balamurugan (Dharmapuri) on the April 7 killings.
Sit checks out ‘encounter’ spot
Tirupati: A day after a meeting with Tirupati Urban police, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) visited the two encounter sites where 20 red sanders wood cutters were gunned down by the Red Sanders Anti-Smuggling Task Force of Andhra Pradesh.
Sadhus in Tiruvannamalai town are performing final rites for the spouses of the 21 women, who removed their thaali in a recently held 'Thaali' removal programme in chennai by Dravida Kazhagam,
Animated Film used to Raise Awareness on Sex Abuse
By Express News Service
Published:30th April 2015
VELLORE: Police have launched an awareness campaign with Kamol – an animated film – to sensitise children about sexual abuse and protect themselves. The initiative also targets parents to educate them and safeguard their wards. The campaign kick-started a week ago and the 10-minute film has been screened at five camps so far, covering school students aged 5 and above. On Tuesday, the film was screened for around 1000 students from five schools in and around Sathuvachari.
Apart from screening the film, the police department also roped in folk artists to keep the students engaged through interactive sessions and stage dramas to educate them about good touch and bad touch and popularise the child helpline - 1098. Superintendent of Police (Vellore) P K Senthil Kumari told the children that they should inform their parents or teacher, if someone shows them their private parts, obscene pictures/movies. They can also call the child helpline, she informed.
Since the summer vacation has started, police are planning to screen the movie in villages as well. DSPs will take part in the programme in their sub-division, while the inspectors will reach out to the villages in their respective jurisdiction. “We have issued CDs of the animated film to each police station in the district. The Inspector will conduct similar camps in each village in their station limit and we are planning to cover all the villages in the district within two months,” the SP added.
'Last Rites' to Be Offered for Spouses of Those Who Shed Thaali
By J Shanmugha Sundaram
Published: 29th April 2015
TIRUVANNAMALAI: After Hindu organisations opposed Dravida Kazhagam’s ‘Thaali Akatturm’ programme, a group of Sadhus in the temple town became the latest to board the bandwagon.
The ‘holy men’ decided to perform special ‘pinda pooja’ (organised as part of the final rites on the 16th day after death of a person) on Wednesday for the spouses of 21 women who removed their thaali on April 14 in Chennai.
Periyarists, however, called the pooja a publicity stunt by the so called ‘sadhus and sanyasis’ and said it would help to popuralise Periyar’s ideology of equality and self-respect for women.
The special pooja would be performed at about 10.30 am on Wednesday at Karmakariya Kulam near Ramana Ashramam along the Girivalam path. Pinda Gomatha Pooja, according to Hindu customs, is part of the final rites. “It is performed on the 16th day after the death of a person with a belief that it helps free the ‘aatma’ (soul) of the dead from the circle of rebirth,” said a 51-year-old Sadhu, R Mohan of Sadhus and Devotees Joint Committee.
The sadhus have also submitted a letter to Tiruvannamalai town police seeking permission for the programme.
As strong believers and followers of the rituals and customs of Hinduism, they would perform the special poojas and offer the pindam (rice cake mixed with jaggery and sesame) to cows.
“The sacred thread round the neck of a woman is removed only after the death of the woman’s husband, according to the belief in Hinduism. Since, 21 women removed their thaali in the recent programme by Dravida Kazhagam, it indicated that their husbands were no more,” said another Sadhu.
Admitting that it was an individual’s choice to wear or remove the thaali, but the act of the women in full public view was disrespect to beliefs of Hindus, he added, “hence, we wish to perform the pooja to uphold the values.”
A total of 21 sadhus would perform the poojas on behalf of the families and the women who removed their thaalis.
Several believers of Hindu customs have come forward to give rice, jaggery, sesame and dhothis and shirts to the owners of the cows that will be brought for the pooja.
“I am a believer of the rich Hindu traditions and customs. So, I want to be part of the pooja,” said J Neelakandan of Tiruvannamalai.
Neelakandan is planning to give rice, jaggery and sesame for the pooja.
Calling it a politically motivated stunt, the school teacher R Krishnamurthy (37) said, “We don’t believe in superstition and dissuade people from following them which demeans equality to women.”
R Krishnamurthy’s wife, A Sangeetha, a resident of Dharmapuri, was one among the 21 women who removed their thaalis.
Fifty five year-old S Vasu of
Kodungaiyur said the special pooja is nothing to him. “If they (Sadhus) want to
perform such pooja, they can do it as per their wish. It will never bother me
and not affect my life in any way,” opinions Vasu’s wife Vimala Devi (38), who
has also removed the thaali.
All units of police were placed on high alert after notorious gangster Vasur Raja jumped bail in a murder case on Saturday night, three days after he was acquitted in an attempt-to-murder case
Police are worried this could revive gang war in the Fort city as Raja’s rival ‘Athiradi’ Maha (alias) Mahalingam (32) is already out on bail. Sources in the police department said this is the first time, after two years, that both Raja and Mahalingam are out on bail at the same time.
Criminal Jumps Bail, Sparks Gang War Fear in Vellore Dt
By J Shanmugha Sundaram
Published:27th April 2015
VELLORE: All units of police were placed on high alert after notorious gangster Vasur Raja jumped bail in a murder case on Saturday night, three days after he was acquitted in an attempt-to-murder case
Police are worried this could revive gang war in the Fort city as Raja’s rival ‘Athiradi’ Maha (alias) Mahalingam (32) is already out on bail. Sources in the police department said this is the first time, after two years, that both Raja and Mahalingam are out on bail at the same time.
“If they remain outside prison for two months, one of them will be the next victim of gang war. Bloodshed will be inevitable as they harboured so much vendetta against each other, ” said a police officer of the Organised Crime Investigation Unit (OCIU).
The two gangsters and their accomplices were lodged in different prisons in connection with various crimes for the last two years which brought an end to gang war in Vellore.
The incident on April 10, 2012 on the premises of the Vellore District Combined Courts Complex was one of the attempts by Raja to eliminate Mahalingam and his associates.“The incident sent shock waves across the State. The State government reviewed security arrangements in court premises and beefed up security arrangements,” recalled the inspector on condition of anonymity. Though the gangsters were jailed, they continued to operate at will. In fact, Maha masterminded several killings remaining inside the prison. The murder of a realtor, Krishnan, in 2010 in Thusi Police Station in Tiruvannamalai was one among them. On the other hand, Raja threatened and extorted several middlemen, businessmen in Sathuvachari and also fellow convicts and his families.
According to a police officer, both of them have established links with other gangs in northern districts during their imprisonment.
Police were trying to get life imprisonment for Raja for the abduction and murder of a pawnshop owner Muthukumar (26) on February 19, 2014. Though Maha along with his associate Kuppan was sentenced to life imprisonment in CMC PRO’s murder case, he appealed against the verdict.
“We have taken all the efforts to get life imprisonment for Raja in Muthukumar’s case,” said a senior police officer. Gang War:The gang war, which has been going for over eight years, resulted in string of brutal killing. It all started with the killing of Sankar in 2009. Sankar was elder brother of notorious rowdy Suriya, who known for extortion and threatening of several persons, including government employees. Maha attempted on Suriya’s life and killed his brother due to mistaken identity in dark hours in 2009.
Though Suriya was looking for opportunity to eliminate Maha, the latter bumped off Suriya near Vellore Collectorate in 2010. After the death of Suriya, Vasur Raja emerged and he wanted to kill Maha to settle score for the death of his associate Suriya.
It subsequently resulted in two more murder - Bharath (murdered in 2012) and G G Ramesh (hacked to death in 2014), both done by Maha and his associate Kuppan. “Bharath was promised of Rs 5 lakh to kill his associate Maha by Ramesh’s close relatives. But Maha learnt about this discreet plot and tricked Bharath to stabbed him to death in 2012,” said the police official privy to the investigation of the case.
Suggested Box:
Mahalingam , son of retired VAO Hari Padurangan and resident of VAdukankuttai in Katpadi. Out of eight cases against him, six are murder cases. He was the prime accused in CMC PRO Johan Segar’s murder case. He was prime accused in five other murder cases of Sankar (2009), Suriya (2010). Krishnan (2010) and Bharath (2012)
His associates: Appu (alias) Rajendran (23) and Banu (alias) Paul Jayakanthan (41) and Kuppan .(aged about 33 years, who came out on bail and disappeared, of Vellore. He has link with other gangsters Gabriel.
Vasur Raja, son of an ex-serviceman and resident of Pudu Vasur.
Of the 16 cases, two were murder case. He murdered one Praveen Kumar (26) and burnt in his body in August 2011 in Latheri Police Station limit. He abducted and murdered one Muthukumar (26) of Sathuvachari on February 2014.
He was acquitted in four cases of attempt to murder cases and robbery. Two more cases were pending against him.
His associates: K Balaji (27) of Sathuvachri, A Raja (30) and J Mahendran (28) of Pudupalayam, Chengam Taluk, Tiruvannamalai, Udhaya (then 27), Sathiya (27) of Vellore Old Town, Basha (27) and Nashiya Abbash (28) of Konavattam. /eom/shan/
Victim's Wife Fails to Co-operate; Andhra team Ends Inquiry
By J Shanmugha Sundaram
Published:27th April 2015
TIRUVANNAMALAI: A team of police personnel from Andhra Pradesh conducted an inquiry with one of the Seshachalam encounter victim’s wife on Saturday, just a few days ahead of submitting the case diary to the High Court. However, the inquiry reportedly ended abruptly after the victim’s families refused to co-operate with the four-member team.
The team consisted of Deputy Superintendent of Police of Tirupathi (East) Ravi Shankar Reddy — the designated Investigating Officer of the case filed against Red Sander Anti-Smuggling Task Force (RSASTF). He was accompanied by three other police personnel, who reached Kannamangalam on Saturday to record the statements of the victims’ families.
Earlier on April 14, the AP police had registered an FIR against some unnamed STF personnel based on a complaint filed by S Muniyammal, wife of A Sashi Kumar of Vettagiripalayam, one of the victims of the encounter. The police invoked Sections 302 (punishment for murder), 364 (kidnapping or abduction in order to murder) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of Indian Penal Code against those involved in the encounter, according to counsel of the victims’ families Advocate K Balu.
Following this, the complainants had been summoned to Kannamangalam Police Station in the district to obtain information from them under the provision of Section 161 of CrPC. Inspector M Arivazhagan of Kannamangalam station and Inspector D Vinayagam of Arni Town Station were present during the inquiry.
During the 30-minute-long inquiry, the AP police questioned Muniyammal about her husband, his work-related details, when he left the house last time, where he had left to and who accompanied him. “The police team recorded the statement of Muniyammal. However, she refused to sign on the statement paper. Following this, the police wound up their investigation citing lack of cooperation from the complainant party,” said Madhavan, elder brother of Mahendran who was also killed in the alleged encounter. He further said they were not keen to talk to the AP police.
“The case has been registered on April 14. But the AP police did not take any action or commence inquiry until April 24. They reached Kannamangalam in the last minute before submitting the case diary before the HC.
“It is drama by the AP police to show that they carried inquiry before handing over the case diary to the court,” Advocate K Balu added.
The victims’ family have also reportedly informed the four-member police team that they would talk to the eight-member SIT led by Inspector General of Police (repatriate from Central deputation - National Investigation Agency) Ravi Shankar Ayyankar.
“Until now, the AP police did not submit a single document and the Action Taken Report before the HC. It clearly shows their intention to buy more time to wipe out the evidences and cover up the STF’s inhumane act that claimed the lives of 20 farm hands,” charged the advocate.
Published:25th April 2015VELLORE: Very few among the legal fraternity here would have forgotten April 10, 2012 when scythes wielding goons chased and attacked their rival gang member at the District Combined Court Complex. But on Thursday, all the five accused in the case were acquitted after the victim and the witnesses turned hostile fearing for their lives.
Notorious rowdy Vasur Raja (alias) Raja of Pudu Vasur (28) and his associates attacked Jagan (alias) Jaggannathan (26) of his rival gang led by ‘Speed’ Maha (alias) Mahalingam. The terrifying incident unfolded within 10 minutes of the court proceedings commencing on that day. Jagan, who had come along with Maha and his gang members to appear before the court in the then CMC PRO John Segar’s murder case, stepped out of the court only to be met with
Raja and his gang members Udhaya (then 27), Sathiya (27) of Vellore Old Town, Basha (27) and Nashiya Abbash (28) of Konavattam. They, in fact, were waiting near the court premises to eliminate the entire rival gang. But to their dismay, only Jagan walked out. On spotting him, they scaled the wall of the court and unleashed their deadly attack.
However, the agile Jagan, though got wounded, managed to escape from Vasur Raja and his gang and saved himself by hiding inside the District Lawyers’ Association office on the ground floor of the court. The gang searched for him for nearly 20 minutes and left the building before fleeing the spot in a SUV.
An advocate sustained injury in the incident. “Jagan sustained deep cut injuries on his left leg, thigh and forehead,” said a police officer, citing the charge sheet.
The incident sent a shock wave among advocates across the State and resulted in a series of protests and court boycotts demanding security in the court premises. Following the incident, a strong contingent of armed police personnel were deployed in the court campus. Similarly, security arrangements were beefed up in other district courts of the State. Vasur Raja and his aid surrendered before the court the very next day. Sathuvachari Police registered a case under sections under 147, 148, 341, 294 (b) and 307 of the IPC.
Though hundreds of court staff, advocates, litigants and police personnel witnessed the gruesome incident, the accused were acquitted for want of evidence. The victim, Jagan, and 20 other witnesses in the case turned hostile during the course of the hearing fearing for their lives. Judge of Assistant Sessions-cum-Chief Judicial Magistrate Court S Sivakadatcham acquitted Vasur Raja and other accused under the provision of section 235 (1).
“Prima facie, the case was not made out after the victim stated that he did not see his attackers as he sustained injuries on his forehead and lost consciousness. The other prosecution witnesses turned hostile,” said an advocate, who witnessed the court proceeding.
The Judge, in fact had directed the police to extend security to the witnesses and victim to enable them to depose freely, added a source.
Though Vasur Raja and his associates were acquitted from the case, they were taken back to Cuddalore Prison in connection with other pending cases, including the abduction-cum-murder of a pawnshop owner, a year ago here.
File picture of a severely injured Jagan being carried in a stretcher after being attacked in the Combined Court Complex; and Vasur Raja (right) | express
hereiam: NHRC Orders Not Heeded by AP Govt: NHRC Orders Not Heeded by AP Govt By J Shanmugha Sundaram Published: 25th April 2015 VELLORE: The fact finding team of People’...
VELLORE: The fact finding team of People’s Watch has expressed disappointment at the way the National Human Rights Commission’s (NHRC) is handling the killing of 20 Tamil labourers in an alleged encounter in Seshachalam forest on April 7.
The commission had directed the AP government and the police department to submit the medico-legal documents related to the encounters during its camp sitting in Hyderabad on April 23. It had also directed the Director General of Police and Chief Secretary of AP government to be present in person during the hearing. But none of the orders was heeded by the AP government, alleged Henri Tiphagne, executive director of People’s Watch.
Claiming that the AP government had not submitted the documents, Tiphagne said, “The AP police and government are wilfully delaying submission of medico-legal documents, which will only lead to further loss of evidence. But the commission has not executed its authority to make AP police fall in line. ”
The commission should have been “harsher” on the faulty AP police, who left the bodies of the victims under direct sunlight for over 10 hours on purpose so that they decomposed quickly to destroy evidence, he added.
Though Tiphagne welcomed NHRC’s decision to take up its own enquiry into the encounters, he pointed out that the posts of Director General of Police (Investigation) and Deputy Inspector General of Police (Investigation) attached to the commission are vacant for more than eight months.. There are only two SPs at their disposal, Tiphagne said.
The non-availability of senior most officers in the
investigation wing would further dent the inquiry and give the much-needed
breathing space for the AP police, he said.
The AP police has not only dodged the NHRC, but also the
Hyderabad HC. The court has directed to submit the reports and legal documents.
But, the police has not yet submitted the reports and is seeking more time.
“The AP police pleaded the two member bench of HC for time to submit the post mortem report and other legal
and department documents,” counsel of the victims’ families K Balu said.
By J Shanmugha Sundaram/ Published: 23rd April 2015
VELLORE: People’s Watch, Tamil Nadu (PWTN) (a Human Rights NGO founded by social activists in 1995, based in Madurai) will be submitting a 76-page interim report on the alleged Seshachalam Reserve Forest encounter on April 7, to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in Hyderabad on Thursday.
In the aftermath of the killing of 20 men from Tamil Nadu, PWTN commissioned a high-powered team to probe the alleged encounter between Red Sander Anti-Smuggling Task Force (RSASTF) and the workers.
“Prima facie evidence flattens the ‘encounter theory’ of the AP police in every single aspect,” Executive Director of PWTN and one of the eight fact-finding members of the team, Henri Tiphagne told Express.
The other seven members include retired Bombay High Court Judge Hosbet Suresh, former member of NHRC, Satyabrata Pal, former DGP of Border Security Force, E N Rammohan, Ramnad MLA Jawahirullah, Advocate B S Ajeetha, forensic expert, Dr Savior Selva Suresh and Director of People’s Watch, Mathew Jacob.
The high-level team interviewed the victims’ family, police officials and people’s representatives in Tiruvannamalai and Dharmapuri in TN, Chitoor and Tirupathi in Andhra Pradesh during its two-day fact finding mission on April 14 and 15.
They recorded accounts of three eye-witnesses, Paramatha Sekhar (54) of Murugapadi, M Ilango (22) of Melkanavayur, and Balachandran of Sitherimalai, including producing them before the NHRC to record their statements.
The report states that prima facie evidence points to “abduction, custodial torture and cold-blooded murder by the AP police.” AP police, in the two FIRs 42 and 43 relating to the two separate encounters that took place two kilometres apart, recorded the fact that they occurred between 5.30 am and 6 am on April 7.
However, the PWTN interim report points out that the 20 victims had left their homes in their villages after 1 pm on April 6. It seems implausible for them to have travelled a distance of almost 300 kms, (which would have taken a minimum of 12 hours, considering they were using public transportation), and then logged as many red sanders trees they had been accused of logging and then transporting the logs to the alleged ‘encounter area’, 3 kms away.
“It clearly exposes the glaring falsehood of the AP police,” said Tiphagne and also stated that there were no tell-tale sign of the “so called encounters” in the two spots -Cheekatigala Kona (where nine woodcutters were killed) and Sachinodi Banda (11 loggers killed) - in the Seshachalam Reserve Forest of Chandragiri in AP.
Calling it
was a cold blooded and premeditated murders, Mr Pal stated that the AP police
lying through their teeth. While another member of the team and former police
officer Rammohan called it as a “shameful act of AP police”.
Tiruvannamalai: Twenty-three-year-old Pavithra of Thanniyur hamlet in Athimur
panchayat, Tiruvannamalai, does not mind taking to the tough job of cutting
sugarcane. All that this young widow now thinks about is the future of her two
daughters, aged five and two years.
Like her, 20-year-old Rekha, also a widow, also cuts
sugarcane to feed her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, while 50 year-old
Poomalli struggles to make ends meet after she lost her son, the sole
breadwinner of the family.
It is almost a year since the three women lost their sole
breadwinners. A common string binds them with the 20 families, who lost their
men in controversial surrounding twin
encounters by Red Sander Anti-Smuggling Task Force (RSASTF) in
Seshachalam Reserve Forest on April 7. The trio – Vijayakanth (25), Sasi (25) and
Venkateshan (26) - was also gunned down by the special task force during an
alleged encounter on May 27 last year in Guddeddula Banda in Shyamala Forest
Range.
While various quarters are fighting for justice for the
families of the 20 men, these three families have been living amidst poverty
and isolation for nearly a year now. The young widows bemoaned that the
government officials were looking them down and spoke ill about their husband
when they approach for the financial aid for widows.
“I met government
officials seeking widow pension, but the officials categorically said “no”.
They even spoke ill about my husband and tagged him as criminal (red sander
smugglers),” said Pavithra with tears in her eyes. Rekha has also echoed the
same.
Day After Train Robberies, Rly Forces from 4 States Share Info on Criminals
By Express News Service
Published:22nd April 2015
vellore : Senior police officers of the Government Railway Police (GRP) and Railway Protection Force in the four southern States met in Vellore on Tuesday, with a view to increasing the safety and security of passengers in the aftermath of the three passengers being robbed of over 15 sovereign of gold on the Bangalore-Chennai Mail yesterday.
Officers of the GRP of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka along with officers attached to the seven divisions of the RPF - Chennai, Salem, Trichy, Kerala, Bangalore, Gundakkal and Vijayawada met to implement measures for preventing and detecting offences and strengthening security on tracks adjoining interstate borders: Jolarpet-Bangarupet, Arakkonam-Reinkunta, Chennai Central-Gudur, Gundakal-Viajayawada and Coimbatore-Palgat.
“We have shared information about active criminals indulging in property offences in moving trains in the night hours. We will share and compile a complete database of all the criminals operating in all the four southern states. It will help us prevent property offences and help nab the accused at the earliest,” SP Vijayakumar told Express, after chairing the meeting at the District Police Office in Vellore.
Details of 500 interstate criminals were shared . “We shared details of around 300 criminals. Similarly, officials of the three other State police have also shared information with us,” he said. The Criminal Intelligence Wing of the RPF will also share information with the GRP.
“A complete database of the criminals will help us study and analyse their modus operandi. We have also decided to meet periodically. The next meeting will be hosted by the Railway Police District of Karnataka in the last week of May,” he said.
The meeting paved the way for real-time communication and coordination between departments and offices of the GRP of the southern states and between cyber-cell units of railway police districts.
Copycat FIRs Further Dent AP Police Encounter Theory
By J Shanmugha Sundaram /Published: 20th April 2015
VELLORE / TIRUVANNAMALAI:
The two First Information Reports — FIR 42/2015 and FIR 43/2015 — corresponding to the two alleged encounters in Cheekatigala Kona (where nine woodcutters were killed) and Sachinodi Banda (11 loggers killed) in the Seshachalam Reserve Forest of Chandragiri in AP, are strangely and eerily similar except for the names of the complainants, the places the encounters took place and the victims.
The time of the two encounters, too, are identical — 5.30 am to 6 am on April 7, 2015 — which raises suspicions as the two areas where the encounters are alleged to have taken place are more than two kilometres apart. The almost identical wording of the FIRs filed seems to erode the AP Red Sanders Anti Smuggling Task Force’s (RSASTF) claims of an ‘encounter’ with the loggers from Tamil Nadu. With Cheekatigala Kona and Sachinodi Banda over 2 km away, the similarity in the text of the two FIRs raises questions and suspicions of a cover-up by the STF of the actual happenings on April 7.
The killing of the 20 people, many of whom (learned from the narrative of witnesses who survived the ordeal) were rounded up well before they reached the Seshachalam forest area, points to a coordinated strategy on the part of the STF to round up the workers well before they reached the forest area.
FIR 42, one of the two FIRs to which Express has access, names Deputy Superintendent of Police (G Harinath Babu) of the Red Sanders Anti Smuggling Task Force as having led the team in the first encounter, while FIR 43 does not name any officer as leading the team in the second encounter.
Both FIRs, suspiciously similar in their narration describing the ‘encounter’, read — “the STF personnel approaching the forest area noticed — 100 Tamil speaking people in the hillock area yelling “Vettudi, konnudi” (hack, kill).
In response, according to both the FIRs, the DSP in charge of the task force told them loudly that they are in the presence of the AP police.The two First Information Reports (FIR) - FIR 42/2015 and FIR 43/2015 - corresponding to the two alleged encounters in Cheekatigala Kona (where nine woodcutters were killed) and Sachinodi Banda (11 loggers killed) in the Seshachalam Reserve Forest in AP, are strangely similar except for the names of the complainants, the places the encounters took place and those killed.
Both FIRs read — “the STF personnel approaching the forest area noticed — 100 Tamil speaking people in the hillock area yelling “Vettudi, konnudi” (hack, kill). In response, according to both the FIRs, the DSP in charge of the task force informed them loudly that they are in the presence of the AP police, to which there was no initial response from the workers. The FIRs claim, however, a few moments later, one of the red sanders ‘smugglers’ whipped out three firearms threatening the police. It was then (the FIRs claim) that the STF opened fire on the loggers in (self) defence.
The two FIRs throw up more questions and give credence to suspicions raised that the AP police were trying to stage an ‘encounter’ after having tortured and gunned down the victims before laying them to rest in the Reserve Forest area. The two FIRs do not seem to support the statement of Deputy Inspector General of Police of RSASTF, M Kantha Rao. The IPS officer, after visiting the encounter spots, told media representatives on April 7 that “...our men found hundreds of smugglers felling trees in the forest. Though the police warned them to surrender, the latter began raining stones on the team, injuring a few cops. The personnel opened fire in self-defence.”
In addition, despite all FIRs requiring the documentation of the names and serial numbers of the police personnel involved in any engagement, the two FIRs in question are suspiciously silent on the issue.
FIR
42/2015 filed in theChandragiri Police Station, the police
invoked sections 147, 148, 307, 332 r/w 149 of Indian Penal Code and sections
20 (1), (2), (3), (4) and 44 of the AP
Forest Act, section 7, (24 (1), 55 of Biological Diversity Act and Policing
Firing following a complaint from K Nataraja, Forest Section Officer of
Nagapatla section, Chamala Range. The encounter took place between 5.30 am and
6 am in Cheekatigala Kona. Nine persons killed found dead, but no mention of
the number of logs found along with the dead bodies.
The
complaint regarding second one (FIR 43/2015) filed by C Kodandan, Forest Beat
Officer of Nagapatla section. It took place at Sachinodi Banda between 5.30 am
and 6 am. The police invoked sections 47, 148, 307, 332 r/w 149 of Indian Penal Code, 25 (1) (b) of Indian Arms Act and sections 20 (1), (2), (3), (4) and 44 of the AP Forest Act, section 7, (24 (1), 55 of Biological Diversity Act and Policing Firing . As many as 11 found dead and 13 logs found in
the spot./eom/shan/
TIRUVANNAMALAI: In accordance with the directive of the two-member bench of the Hyderabad High Court, a medical team comprising three doctors from the Osmania Medical College (OMC), Hyderabad, conducted fresh postmortems on the bodies of six victims gunned down in an alleged encounter between them and the Red Sanders Anti Smuggling Task Force working in a joint operation with Forest officials and the Andhra Pradesh police. The entire proceeding of the fresh postmortems that lasted almost five hours, conducted in the Government Tiruvannamalai Medical College Hospital on Saturday, (after separate petitions were filed by the families of the victims), was videographed, as per the direction of the Hyderabad High Court.
The High Court had deemed that the results of the postmortem will not be divulged and will be included in a report based on the overall findings that will be prepared by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and submitted to the President, the Supreme Court, the Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh Governments, High Court of Hyderabad with or without the explanation of the AP police in this encounter on April 23.
The hospital campus, particularly the mortuary, was brought under tight security, said Collector A Gnanasekaran. The medical team, led by Professor of Forensics, Dr Mohammed Taqiuddin Khan, began the re-examination of the six bodies at about 2.10 pm which continued till 7 pm. The two other members of the team are Dr Ahijeet Subedar and Dr Ramana Murthi.
Nine doctors attached to the Government Hospital in Tirupathi, who conducted the postmortem examination on the bodies of the 20 victims were allowed to be observers then.
The team first performed the postmortem on the body of Sasi Kumar (34). It was followed by the postmortems on the bodies of K Perumal (37), Munusamy (35), G Murugan (38), Moorthy (38) and S Mahendran (22). The grief-stricken families and relatives of the victims were waiting on the premises of the hospital. They were not allowed near the mortuary.
Meanwhile, in Tirupati, the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) said that it would submit its report to the Union Tribal Commission as well as the NHRC within a week over the Seshachalam encounter on April 7.
NCST Vice-chairman Ravi Thakur, conducted his enquiry with the police, revenue and forest officials on Saturday. He, however, declined to disclose his personal observations on the encounter. “We will submit our report to the Union Tribal Commission within a week and share the same with the NHRC,” he said.
Doctors from Hyderabad, who conducted the re-autopsy on encounter victims on Saturday, arrive at the Chennai airport | Express
VELLORE:The small logo of a paint company on the left side of the vest helped Thanchammal identify the disfigured body as that of her husband Murugan (45). A painter, he also allegedly worked as a woodcutter for red sanders smuggling gangs, a high-paying but risky job that had him killed in an encounter with the joint team of the Special Task Force (STF) and Forest Department personnel of the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. His face was disfigured, and body had several cut and burn injuries, but Murugan wore a pristine white vest. Like him, there were 19 others who died that day.
While the gunning down of so many in the wee hours of April 7 led to a furore, there are scores of Murugans who die unnoticed, many from the backward districts like Vellore, Dharmapuri, Thiruvannamalai, Krishnagiri and Villupuram among others. Almost all are from tribal and scheduled caste communities, who are lured into the job by the promise of money that is substantial enough for them to take the risk. “We know the risk involved in this trade,” said Raman (30), who hails from a remote village in Jawadhu Hills. He is by now an expert in scouting Seshachalam forest in the Andhra Pradesh-Tamil Nadu border where the best red sanders trees are found. Once inside, he would identity, cut and transport the A-grade redwood out of the forest. At the end of each mission, he earns more than a high-paying executive hour-on-hour, and substantially more than the daily-wager neighbours.
(Above) People carry the bodies of suspected red sanders smugglers killed in an encounter in Chittoor district; families (right) and friends moaning the death of their relatives
The red sanders, which was declared as an endanger species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, is listed as scheduled species by the government. “The government has banned the sale and purchase of red sanders in domestic markets. Only government can sell to the registered buyers through open auction, tender and global tender,” said a senior forest official and noted that a tonne of ‘A’ grade logs bid for Rs 1.70 crore in the recently held global tender. The wood does not have fragrance like the regular sandalwood, but is used in traditional systems of medicines like Ayurveda and Chinese medicine. The apparent uses vary, from bathroom to bedroom, making this a commodity that is always in demand in the restricted legal markets and the much more lucrative black markets. According to reports, yoga guru Ramdev’s Patanjali Yogpeeth in Haridwar bought 706 tonnes of red sanders for Rs 207 crore.
The mafia, which has international links, has a closely knit network at various levels in police, forest and transport departments, and politicians in both the states. Though fearful, the anger over the gunning down of 20 of their men seems to have emboldened them into talking, but on strict condition of anonymity.
“A woodcutter gets as much as Rs 600 to Rs 700 for every kilo of red sanders log. The agent has to ensure that the logs are trimmed into sizes convenient for transport and ferried to a previously assigned spot, for which he gets Rs 300 per kilogram,” opened up a woodcutter after much persuasion.
These woodcutters become agents (there are some local level politicians, too, who are working as agents) to recruit tribal youth from the northern districts with the promise of the hefty pay packet, which is at least 10 times more than what they can hope to earn as unskilled labourers in construction sites and coffee plantations.
Having grown up in the hills, they are best suited to spot the best trees and choose the best routes to take the wood out of Seshachalam forest—spread across Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool, Prakasam and Nellore districts in Andhra. They will carry the logs for tens of kilometers through the difficult forest terrain on foot. For the timber mafia that thrives on plunder, there are no better manpower available. Explaining the modus operandi, those who have been working with these gangs told The Sunday Standard that the agents hire a group of 10 to 20 youth from the villages, all aged between 18 and 35 years. In all, about 50 will be gathered, who would then be split into smaller groups of eight to 12 members.
To avoid detection, they would be taken on long and circuitous routes to reach a predetermined meeting point on the outskirts of the forest area. Insiders say that there are times when they gather in Tirupati hills as devotees, waiting for the opportune moment to enter the forest. Some even take their wives and children to Tirupati, a pilgrim destination, to avoid suspicion.
Police sources here allege that some among the Andhra Pradesh State Transport Corporation staff are part of the network. “The drivers and conductors are paid anything between Rs 10,000 and Rs 15,000 for discreetly transporting a group of 10 to 12 woodcutters from Vellore to specific drop points along the Seshachalam forest,” said a police source, citing a confession statement given by an agent held in Vellore recently. “When we enter the forest, the men are well prepared to survive for 10 to 15 days. Sometimes, we even go starving for two-three days before finding a way to get out,” said a former woodcutter who quit after a narrow escape from the heavily-armed STF.
Once the tree is cut, it would take a day or two to reach the closest point with road connectivity to transport it outside the territory. Till the spot across the steep hills, they have to carry the logs on foot. After loading the logs, they again split into small groups and reach various places with connectivity to Vellore or Chittoor. The agents pay them the wages, Rs 30,000-Rs 40,000, once they reach their natives. Meanwhile, logs they cut are transported, often on stolen cars, via Vellore, Bengaluru and Chennai.
