The AP government has constituted an eight-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the provisions of Criminal Procedure Code to investigate the cases that have been registered on April 7 and subsequently in connection with killing of 20 woodcutters in Seshachalam reserve forest area.
Team members
According to a GO issued here, the team consists of Ravi Shankar Ayyanar, IGP (repatriated from central deputation, National Investigation Agency), B.V. Ramana Kumar, DIG, Kurnool, G. Pala Raju, Superintendent of Police, Technical Services, L. Chandrasekhar, Additional Superintendent of Police, West Godavari district, N. Yugandhar Babu, Deputy Superintendent of Police, CID, K. Raghu, Deputy Superintendent of Police, CID, G. Madhusudan, Inspector, Korukonda, East Godavari district and S.Chandrasekhar, Circle Inspector, Chittoor district. The GO mentioned that DIG and head of Red Sanders Anti-Smuggling Task Force (RSASTF), informed that the Task Force along with local forest officials while combing the Seshachalam reserve forest area of Chandragiri mandal on the intervening night of April 6-7, opened fire in self-defence and to protect the lives of forest officials.
It said the Chandragiri police registered cases vide Crime no 42/2015 and 43/2015 on April 7 of Chandragiri PS under sections 147, 148, 307, 332 read with 149 IPC, section 20(1) (2) (3) (4) and 44 of the A.P. Forest Act, section 25 (1) (b) of Indian Arms Act, 1959, section 7.24,(1), 55 of Biological Diversity Act and Police Firing, on the complaint of forest officials.
The government, after careful examination, held the view that this case needed detailed and comprehensive investigation and accordingly decided to constitute a SIT.
State government forms eight-member team under provisions of Criminal Procedure Code
