Chennai: Condemning the police action in Chittoor district, parties in Tamil Nadu, including DMK, BJP, PMK and CPI on Tuesday claimed that poor labourers from the state were among the victims and asked the Andhra Pradesh government to "pursue lawful means" to check red sanders smuggling.

Claiming that they were innocent labourers from Tamil Nadu who were lured with higher wages to forests in neighbouring Chittoor, NDA ally, PMK chief Ramadoss said their being shot down without even an inquiry was unacceptable.

Dismissing claims of Andhra Pradesh police that they opened fire in self-defence, he said "it was a plain lie" and demanded a probe by a sitting judge of Supreme Court besides seeking relief to those killed and action against police officials.

CPI leader D Raja expressed shock that the Andhra Pradesh police could resort to such brutal killings of "labourers" including those hailing from the neighbour state. "Nobody can approve of such police action. This incident needs a thorough judicial probe and the family members of the victims should also be compensated," Raja said.

"We are in touch with our counterparts in Andhra Pradesh. We are verifying if 12 of those killed were labourers from Thiruvannamalai and Vellore Districts," a top Tamil Nadu police official said.

DMK chief Karunanidhi, in a statement said, governments of both the states should announce relief to the families of the labourers killed in the exchange of fire. "Today's incident has happened as the states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have not found a solution to this issue, though such incidents (smuggling and encounters) keep happening for the past several months," he said.

"Shooting anybody just like that is not acceptable, they must be dealt in accordance with law," Tamil Nadu BJP president Tamilisai Soundararajan told reporters here.

Twenty red sander smugglers were killed and six policemen injured in a fierce exchange of fire after they attacked the police in Seshachalam hill ranges in Andhra Pradesh's Chittoor district early today. However, the parties in the state have claimed that out of the twenty killed in the shoot out, there were 12 labourers. "In taking action against those involved in red sanders smuggling, undesirable extra-legal consequences are emerging," Tamil Nadu Congress chief EVKS Elangovan said.

He said today's action has led to several misgivings. "Andhra Pradesh should order an impartial probe by reining in officials from both Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh."

MDMK chief Vaiko while expressing his condolences said, "big smuggling sharks escape and it is the poor who have been killed."

'Tamilaga Valvurimai Katchi' chief Panruti Ti Velmurugan too echoed his views and urged action on lawful lines.

CPI State Secretary R Mutharasan said "it was murder of labourers," and wanted cases of murder slapped on police officials and urged solatium to the kin of those killed.

The alleged red sanders smuggling in Chittoor District bordering Tamil Nadu has witnessed arrest of many labourers from the state in the past as well and the issue has now snowballed into a political controversy.