Killing of woodcutters continues in AP forest, kept under dark
Jawadhu Hills:
In
2015, 20 men from Tamil Nadu were gunned down inside the red
sander-rich Seshachalam Reserve Forest in Andhra Pradesh for reportedly
felling and smuggling the precious logs. While AP’s Red Sander
Anti-Smuggling Task Force (RSASTF) has been maintaining that there were
zero killings after the 2015 twin encounters, many families in Jawadhu
Hills from where smugglers get their major workforce claim that their
men, who left the land for AP forests, returned lifeless or remain
untraceable.
Almost
a month ago, Kesavan, son of Mani, a resident of Irumbuli, had left his
village along with 30 others to fell red sander trees in AP. They were
reportedly taken into the forest by an agent from Melkupsanavur in
Jawadhu Hills. His family said that they don’t know his whereabout and
continue their search for him.
However,
a man close to his family claimed that those who accompanied Kesavan
informed them that he (Kesavan) and three others were shot down by the
special task force in the forest near Tirupathi.
“Another
villager, who went with Kesavan, told us that he saw Kesavan dead and
he suffered bullet injuries. He found three others killed in the same
spot,” said a member close to Kesavan’s family.
He
added that the agent who lured him, with the promise of good return,
trying to placate his family and also paid them Rs 1.50 lakh to hush up
the death.
Visits
to various tribal villages in Jawadhu Hills revealed that many families
have lost their breadwinners in the last two years. While some of them
were reportedly killed, others were missing.
Twenty-two
year old Settu, son of Chinnasamy, of Puliyankuppam village, went
missing nearly eight months ago. The last time his family saw him was
when he left with his friends.
“Settu
is missing for several months now. Elders in our family tried hard to
trace him remain unsuccessful. We learned from his friends that he went
to AP forests to fell red sander trees. We are worried about him,” said
Settu’s cousin.
For
several years, tribals of Jawadhu Hills have been the workforce for the
huge network of red sander smugglers in the country. The inflow from
the tribal villages in Tiruvannamalai district continues even after 12
of the 20 men, who were gunned down in 2015, were from Jawadhu Hills.
Many youth opt to work for red sander smugglers to make easy and quick
money.
While
AP police continues to make several arrests of tribals from Tamil Nadu
for felling/smuggling of red sander trees, an eerie silence prevails
over the fact that a handful of tribal men have ended up dead or gone
missing after venturing into the AP forests.
Insiders
in the smuggling network say they prefer to cover up the killing of
tribal men to avoid spotlight. Instead, they settle the issue by giving
money to the family of the dead men. AP police, on their part, prefer to
keep such incidents in the dark.
“Men
(woodcutters) from the hills are always inside the AP forest. They pass
on the information, if anyone killed. If a person caught by task force
and lodged in prison, the advocates in Tirupathi, Kadapa and others
areas will contact us within a couple of days. They facilitate to secure
their bail. In the process, they make good money,” said a woodcutter
who got bail after spending close to Rs 80,000 for advocate and two
surety bond, each for Rs 15,000.
Social
worker in the hills said that the woodcutters are part of a network
that has circles within the circle of the closed community. They will
not reveal anything outside their circle. “Lack of employment
opportunity has been force the men, even graduates, to take up the
illegal and risk work. Once enter the forest, there is no turning back,”
said a B.Ed graduate, who runs a petty shop-cum-photocopying shop in
Jamunamaruthur. He added that more than 200 completed B.Ed, but they
were remaining jobless. Many of them turned woodcutters.
Here is a list of tribal men who died inside the AP forest:
A
year ago, Elumalai, aged 21, of Perunkattur, was found floating on a
waterbody inside the forest. Men, who accompanied him to the forest,
found his body floating four days after he went missing when trying to
escape from the special task force. The men brought his body to his
native village.
On
April 18 last 2017, Devaraj alias Amulu of Puttur colony was reportedly
electrocuted when he was fleeing from the AP police inside the forest.
On being informed that her husband was died and was buried in the
forest, his pregnant wife approached the police in Vaniyambadi to help
bring back his body. She also identified a man, Jalandhar, who took him
to the forest for felling trees.
Two
years ago, 45-year-old Mani, a resident of Kovilandur, was killed
inside the AP forest. His body was brought back to his village. His
relatives claimed that he was shot dead.
Govindan,40,
of Nammiyampattu, died two years ago, and his body was brought home in a
highly decomposed condition, villagers said.
Kasi,
45, of Palampattu village, has been missing for the last six to seven
months after he went to fell trees. Villagers said that two others died
while they were jailed for smuggling red sander trees in AP.
Sources
in the task force said that they opened fire for 29 times since June
20, 2015 to December 7, 2017 in Chandragiri, Tirupathi, Nagapatia east
and west beat, Chittoor East and several other areas inside the forest.
This was excluding the exchange of firing on April 7, 2015. However, no
causality was reported in the 29 firing incidents.
Categorically
denying the reported killing of woodcutters after the twin encounters,
Deputy Inspector General of Police, RSASTF, Kantha Roa told TOI that there was no killing after the encounters in 2015.
After
wiping out the sandalwood trees in Jawadhu hills and the forest in
Karnataka in the 80 and 90s, they are targeting the red sander logs in
AP forest. “We are trying hard to prevent felling of trees. But it is a
herculean task as the woodcutters are coming in hundreds,” he said
They
are from Jawadhu Hills, Kalrayan and Patchaimalai in Villupuram,
Yelagiri in Vellore, tribals from Dharmapuri and Salem were sneaking
into Seshechalam RF and surrounding forest that spread over 14 lakh
hectares. They were felling 200 to 300 trees per day
“We
have made arrest of around 10,000 woodcutters from TN in the last
couple of years, besides 26 international smugglers from China and other
East Asian countries,” he said.
Graphics:
Encounters: Since
2012 to twin encounters in 2015, a total of 31 woodcutters were killed
in 10 encounters. Of them 18 were from Jawadhu Hills and surrounding
areas in Tiruvannamalai district.
Interceptions and arrests of TN smugglers by Task Force from 2015 to 2017:
a total of 10,558 woodcutters arrested. Of them, 2,631 from
Tiruvannamalai, 2385 from Vellore, 1943 from Salem, 952 from Villupuram
and 568 from Dharmapuri.
International smugglers:
A total of 26 international smugglers have been arrested – 16 from
China, three each from Nepal and Tibet and one each from Singapore, Sri
Lanka, Dubai and Malaysia.
Seven stages of
red sander smuggling network: woodcutters are at the bottom of pyramid
style network, stage II – mastry (agent), stage III – pilot/logistic
suppliers, stage IV – transporters, stage V – godown keeper, stage VI
exporters and stage VII – international smugglers.
Woodcutters paid
Rs 500 to 700 per kg of the dressed hardwood of the red sander. They
have to cut the hardwood into transportable sizes of 6 to 8 ft and carry
them from deep inside the forest to collecting point along motorable
road. The price increase tenfold when it reaches the international
market.
‘A’ quality red sanders logs sold at Rs 50 to 70 lakh per tonne in black market
