This is not the first time that the twin Telugu-speaking states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have witnessed encounters of alleged criminals, usually after massive public demand for ‘justice’. Started with a peasant uprising Encounter killings in Andhra Pradesh (Telangana was a region part of the bigger state till 2014) began after the Srikakulam peasant uprising which was an armed struggle from 1968-’71. Encounter killings began rising again when N. Chandrababu Naidu became the chief minister in 1995. As the news about their ‘encounter’ broke, several groups including child rights and gender rights activists held support rallies for Andhra Pradesh. In 2015, 20 people suspected to be red sanders smugglers were gunned down in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh.

Source: Huffington Post December 07, 2019 08:15 UTC