The Andhra Pradesh Police are waiting for orders from a ‘competent authority’ to hand over the investigation into the encounter of 20 woodcutters from Tamil Nadu in the Seshachalam forests , Director-General of Police (DGP) J.V. Ramudu said on Sunday.
Referring to the National Human Rights Commission’s (NHRC’s) recommendation that the killings are better probed by the CBI, the DGP termed it as an opinion only. “Any commission can express its opinion. But, we have to get orders from the government, High Court or Supreme Court, which are the competent authorities,” said Mr. Ramudu, while refusing to comment on the NHRC’s directives to the State to pay Rs.5 lakh as interim relief to the victims’ families.
Despite all hiccups, Mr Ramudu said the police had succeeded in arresting several national and international smugglers.
As many as 2,000 smugglers have been arrested so far of which 65 have been booked under the Preventive Detention Act, he said.
Regarding a separate Commissionerate at Amaravathi, he said proposals had been sent to the government to create the facility with 82 police stations, he added.
There are plans to set up cyber crime stations at Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam, he added.
