'The Tamil Nadu government should ask Andhra Pradesh to speed up the investigation.'
Twenty men from Tamil Nadu were gunned down on April 7, 2015 in the forests of Andhra Pradesh's Chittoor district by the state police who accused them of being red sanders smugglers.
Human rights activists said these men were wood cutters and not involved in smuggling.
The People's Union for Civil Liberties has been supporting the families of the slain men.
PUCL's Tamil Nadu General Secretary S Balamurugan tells A Ganesh Nadar/Rediff.com about the progress in the case.
What has happened in the case so far?
There has been no progress. The NHRC (National Human Rights Commission) had come to inquire into the case. They gave directions to the Andhra Pradesh police to give interim compensation to the victims and also directed them to go in for a CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) inquiry.
The Andhra Pradesh government moved the high court and got a stay order against the NHRC directions. They complained to the high court that the NHRC was interfering in their investigation.
The victims did not get any compensation from Andhra Pradesh, but the Tamil Nadu government gave Rs 5 lakh (Rs 500,000) to each victim's family.
They (the Tamil Nadu government) also gave a cook's post to the women in the victims' families under the noon meal scheme.
The Andhra Pradesh government set up an inquiry into the encounter.
The investigation team set up by the Andhra Pradesh government met the victims' families in Tamil Nadu.
They also met a witness who was on the bus on which some of these victims were arrested. The Indian Express reported that cell phone records of the victims prove that they were arrested from a bus.
There was a labourer who was traveling on that bus. He is a prime witness. What happened to him?
The witness is safe in Thiruvannamalai district.
Was his testimony taken?
They have taken his testimony.
Is he being protected?
He is not being provided any protection. But there is no immediate threat to him.
Have labourers from Tamil Nadu stopped going to Andhra Pradesh to cut wood after this incident?
We hear that some labourers have been arrested after that incident. They are still going there.
The Tamil Nadu government has to protect its tribal people. It is not taking any steps to stop this. They should take steps to help them.
Do you think the victims will get justice?
The way the investigation is going on, I don't think so. They are diluting the case. They are protecting the police. They are blaming the victims.
The victims will not get justice.
More than 2,000 tribals from Tamil Nadu are languishing in jails in Andhra Pradesh. The Tamil Nadu government is not monitoring this case. They are not helping.
We appealed to the Tamil Nadu government to give legal aid. They have a moral obligation to help the tribals.
What are the legal options available to the families of the victims?
When an investigation is pending, the courts cannot take a stand. The investigation has to get over and a chargesheet has to be filed.
When the case comes up in court, then the victims' families can ask the court what they want.
The Tamil Nadu government should ask them (Andhra Pradesh)to speed up the investigation.
No policemen has been arrested in this case in Andhra Pradesh till now.
