Semmaram Encounter Killings Fact Finding Report2

Tamil Research Institution (TRI)
After meeting with the SHO at the Nagari Police Station, the fact finding team started for the
Seshachalam Forests near Tirupati, the reported place of the encounter by the APRS-STF.
The team reached a particular point (from where a kutcha road turning left from the main
road towards Tirupati Temple begins leading the way to the reported encounter and body
recovery spot) around 12 noon and were met by a posse of police with a police van that was
parked blocking the entry on the kutcha road. The officer joined by a group of around 20
other members of the STF, armed with rifles, without any name badge, some in their civil
dresses and other not in complete uniform, received the copy of the intimation but refused
permission to the fact finding team members to enter the forests. The forest officer
requested the team to wait for 10 minutes to communicate with his higher officials to seek
their orders for permitting the fact finding team members to enter the forest.
For two hours the team tried to reach some senior official either in the police or in the Forest
Department who could explain why this extraordinary step had been taken, or withdraw the
order, but was fobbed off and could not enter the forest. Several senior police officials didn’t
respond, informed by themselves through phone SMSs about them being in a meeting or
through their secretaries and other colleagues that they are not in the office. Often the
excuse of a public holiday was quoted. Since this was neither a prohibited area, nor one
where the District Magistrate had issued orders under Section 144, the refusal to let the
team pass was illegal. The only possible conclusion that can be drawn from this bizarre
behaviour of the Andhra Pradesh police and forest officials is that they feared that the team’s
inspection of the spot would so completely expose their claims that it must be prevented at
any cost, including by the deployment of an armed force.
The local press had by then gathered in large numbers by now and finally an officer named
Mr. Srinivas, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) spoke to one of the fact finding team members
and explained that he was awaiting the orders from his higher officials but also denied that
there was no permission granted to the team and disconnected the call.
Meanwhile, the fact finding team had brought this to the notice of one of the NHRC officer
from New Delhi A.K.Parashar. Despite Mr. Parashar’s several attempts to contact the DFO
and the Superintendent of Police Tirupati, the concerned officials denied talking to the
NHRC officer stating that the concerned officers were in a meeting. On the contrary, the
forest officer stationed at the entrance of the forest had constant communication with the
concerned DFO and other police officers. Moments later, two more forest officials joined in
with 4 armed men in mufti and joined the already existing forest force squad. (Refer to
Annexure 9 for photographs). Following no response from any state officials and after
awaiting for two hours at the same spot, the fact finding team when tried to proceed for the
reported encounter and body recovery spot by foot was stopped by the stationed forest
officials.
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