'Naxals' killed were villagers: AP tribal union stages protest

Alleging that the two 'Naxals' neutralised by the security forces in an encounter were actually villagers, the Andhra Pradesh Tribal Union staged a protest demanding a magisterial inquiry into the matter.

Visakhapatnam: Andhra Pradesh Tribal Union (APTU) staged a protest in front of the Sub Collector Office in Paderu here demanding a magisterial inquiry into the alleged encounter of two armed Naxals.

They further demanded immediate suspension of the officers involved in the encounter and a compensation of Rs 1 crore each to the bereaved families.

Earlier in the day, security forces in a joint operation neutralised two armed Naxals. 198 Battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Andhra Pradesh Police carried out the operation.

However, later the villagers claimed that the deceased were tribal villagers who went out for hunting rabbits.

The encounter broke out at around 1:30 am on Saturday when the troops were out for area-specific input patrol.

Security forces had recovered bodies of the neutralised Naxals along with two weapons.

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