The death of five labourers from Tamil Nadu, whose bodies were found floating in a tank in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday, was “highly suspicious”, considering the circumstances, the depth of water in the tank and past incidents involving woodcutters, Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee vice-president Kranthi Chaithanya said."Our fact-finding team that visited the spot has confirmed that the existing depth of water in the tank is less than six feet and there is no possibility for anybody to drown unless he/she is unconscious. Since the bodies are highly decomposed, external injuries are not visible. The post-mortem has been conducted by a team of experts and the process has been videographed," Mr. Chaithanya told The Hindu over phone on Monday.
He said that even if the allegation that the victims were woodcutters heading to the Vontimitta forest was true, there was no need for them to enter the tank. “One can easily bypass the tank and enter the forest area. We suspect that they were beaten up and thrown into the tank. If someone chased and forced them to enter the water body then it has to be investigated who chased them and why...there is no evidence whatsoever to prove that they were woodcutters.”
Only an impartial probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) would bring out truth in the case, Mr. Chaithanya said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Inspector-General of Kurnool Range Ghattamaneni Srinivas on Monday said the five men who drowned in Vontimitta tank on Sunday were identified as natives of Kirankadu in Karumandurai village in Salem district. The Kadapa police were in touch with their Salem counterparts and steps were being taken to bring the family members of the deceased to Kadapa, he said.
Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami announced a compensation of ₹3 lakh each to the families of the five labourers.
