Magisterial probe into encounter deaths will be completed fast: AP CM

TN chief minister O Panneerselvam writes to Naidu seeking thorough inquiry into encounter killings

In a reply to his Tamil Nadu counterpart's letter over the killing of 20 labourers in an alleged police encounter in Seshachalam forests near Tirupati three days ago, Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu today said the inquiry into the incident would be conducted without delay and further necessary action would be taken accordingly.

Following large-scale protests over the killing of 20 woodcutters, who were allegedly hired by red sanders smugglers, across Tamil Nadu, TN chief minister O Panneerselvam wrote a letter seeking a thorough inquiry into these encounter killings, a couple of days ago.

Naidu in his letter said: "In order to ascertain the facts, apart from conducting post-mortem to the dead bodies, we have also ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident. We have provided all necessary assistance in completing the process of delivery of dead bodies of the deceased to their relatives in time."

HC insists on FIR under sections of unnatural deaths

Meanwhile, state high court Chief Justice Kalyan Sen Gupta on Friday questioned the director general police (DGP) as to why they had not registered the encounter killings under sections of unnatural deaths.

Justice Sen Gupta, who had directed the police to register a case of unnatural death while hearing a petition filed by the Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee a couple of days ago, reacted sharply after reading the DGP report, which made no mention of unnatural death.

The chief justice posted the hearing to Monday after the DGP promised to file a fresh affidavit by this afternoon, according to reports.