Chamarajanagar, 15 August

Three alleged poachers were killed in an exchange of fire with forest personnel in the Datti forest area under the Shagya range, part of the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary of Chamarajanagar district. The incident on Saturday triggered protests over who opened fire first, and Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has order a magisterial inquiry into the incident.

The incident occurred around 5.10am in the dense forest when forest personnel, acting on information about hunting, encountered four men, Forest Minister Ramalinga Reddy said.

According to the Forest Department, two forest teams went to the area in Hanur taluk, based on specific information about illegal hunting.

The forest staff allegedly found four alleged poachers, hunting wild animals and separating the meat. The personnel reportedly asked them to surrender. But the alleged poachers opened fire at the forest personnel, the Department claimed. The team then retaliated, resulting in the deaths of three alleged poachers, Peter, Kumar and Anthonyswamy. Two died on the spot, while one died in transit to the hospital.

Officials found country made pistols and deer meat with the alleged poachers, said Reddy. 

One official was also injured during the exchange of fire and was admitted to the government hospital in Kollegal. The other alleged hunter escaped.

Stating that the magistrate inquiry will probe both side, Reddy added, “We need to find out what actually happened and whether the firing was deliberate or carried out in self-defence”.

But local residents disputed this account, saying that the three men were first captured and then shot dead at close range.

They protested entered the Sub-Range Forest Officer’s office in Shagya in protest and threw around motorcycles, furniture and other items in anger.

State President of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike Praveen Shetty noted that there were legal jurisdiction on when officials can open fire, even on suspected criminals. 

“Under the law there are rules for use of firearms. If the alleged poachers were trying to escape, they could have been arrested. Why was it necessary to shoot and kill all three? Firing at the head instead of the legs is unjustified,” he said.

He claimed that Forest Department officials have earlier opened fire on farmers and locals entering forests to collect medicinal plants. 

At the mortuary of KR Hospital in Mysuru, Vijay Anthony, a relative of the deceased, said that he would not accept the bodies until it became clear why officials opened fire. 

“All three of the deceased — were my maternal uncles,” he told press. “None of them were hunters. They were ordinary farmers who cultivated land and reared cows and buffaloes. When our cattle go into the forest to graze and do not return home even after nightfall, it is normal for us to go looking for them.”

He said all three of the deceased had children.