Two separate cases of encounter killings in the neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in the last couple of days have raised disturbing questions. And confirm old fears about the police being trigger-happy, as always, in seeking to bring the lawless to justice. In the first case, the Andhra Police gunned down 20 woodcutters allegedly involved in the red sanders smuggling racket. Those killed were poor hirelings, while their masters, who run the profitable smuggling network were far away from any physical danger. Apparently, the woodcutters were killed by the police in two different places in the Andhra forests bordering Tamil Nadu. It was too much of a coincidence that the police patrol parties confronted the groups of woodcutters almost at the same time and both fired at them in self-defence when they came under attack. Some were shot straight into their faces. No policeman suffered any injury. The bodies of those killed bore multiple wounds, some had their skins charred, while other bodies were found mutilated, according to newspaper reports. Red sander trees yield handsome profits in international markets. Apparently, its demand is high in China and western countries due to the rarity of furniture made from it. The state government earns a considerable sum from auctioning the red sander wood at regular intervals. It is reported that the Andhra Police was emboldened by the free hand it was given by the highest in the government to stop smuggling. The resulting killings, which have all the signs of cold-blooded murders, have shocked everyone. Political parties in Tamil Nadu, the home state of all the victims, have protested in unison against the barbarity of the Andhra Police. Civil society activists have condemned the killings. The Andhra High Court, acting on a petition, has sought a report from the government. Even the Union Home Ministry has sought a report from the Andhra Government. Quite clearly, at the heart of the killings is the age-old dilemma of dealing with the hardened criminal mafias within the four walls of the law. Given the painfully slow court processes, and the hazardous investigations involved in successfully prosecuting criminals, the police tend to take extra-legal steps to enforce their writ. In the present case, their recklessness was so blatant that the conscience of all right-thinking people must be shaken. In the other case, five members of the banned SIMI group were killed when one of them allegedly tried to snatch the gun of a policeman in Nalgonda district of Telangana. They were being taken to a court for a hearing in the case the police had filed against them. In this case too, the claimed encounter with the terror suspects suggests a pre-conceived police plan. Of course, an impartial inquiry into the above incidents of alleged encounter killings alone would clear doubts, but the general impression that these were fake encounters is hard to dispel. Modernisation of the police force, re-education of policemen in investigation methods, better staffing with multi-disciplinary personnel, etc., are some of the obvious steps needed to make the police efficient. But, predictably, all state governments cite financial stringency as the reason for the backwardness of their police forces. This should change.
