New Delhi, April 8 (IANS): The CPI-M said on Wednesday that the Andhra Pradesh Police claim on the killing of 20 people cutting red sanders wood was untenable and demanded compensation to the victims' families.

A CPI-M statement said that the people killed in the Seshachalam forest in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday were labourers hired for cutting down red sanders wood by those who illegally trade in it.

"The police claims regarding the incident are untenable as there is sufficient evidence to show that these labourers were killed with impunity," the Communist Party of India-Marxist said.

"The state government and the police authorities have been failing to check the smuggling of red sanders. Instead of taking appropriate measures in this regard, ordinary workers have become the target of police brutality," it said.

The CPI-M demanded a judicial enquiry into the killings. "The Andhra Pradesh government should also provide full compensation to the families of those killed."