7 labourers held, stripped, severely beaten

Kadapa: The Forest officials and police, during their combing operations in the Seshachala forest on Friday, accosted seven Tamil labourers.

Suspecting their credentials, the officials questioned and took them into custody.

They allegedly stripped the labourers and beat them mercilessly with sticks. Video clips of the incident, made public on Sunday, showed that the officials appeared to be bent on taking revenge against the red sanders smugglers and their associates, following the recent killing of two Forest officials. The clips were sent to various TV channels during the day. It is not clear who recorded the incident.

Tirupati Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Srinivasulu has strongly denied allegations that a special team personal caught two red sanders smugglers and beat them up after stripping them.

Video clippings exhibited in some TV channels and also on YouTtube were also false he alleged. An enquiry conducted into the allegations had verified whereabouts of the special team and forest employees.

It was found that they were not responsible for the incident which was telecast by a few TV news channels which claimed that the special teams stipped the two persons and beat them up.