Karnataka govt says forest staff fired in self-defence in Chamarajanagar forest encounter

The Karnataka government told the Assembly that forest personnel killed three alleged poachers in Chamarajanagar reserve forest after coming under fire. Families dispute the poaching allegation, saying the deceased were farmers. The government said a case has been registered

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Monday gave a statement in the Legislative Assembly saying that three poachers were killed in Chamarajanagar reserve forest after the forest department personnel opened fire in self-defence when the hunters shot at them.

Responding to BJP leaders in the Legislative Assembly, Forest and Ecology Minister Ramalinga Reddy said the alleged poachers had entered the forest with weapons for hunting wildlife and that forest officials were authorised to use firearms to protect themselves when their lives were under threat.

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“There was no ill-intention, motive or agenda behind the firing,” the minister said, adding that the government was ready to provide a detailed statement on the incident.

According to the minister, forest officials received information around 8 p.m. on August 14 about poachers entering the Shagya jurisdiction of the Hanur Sub-Division of the Cauvery Wildlife Reserve with weapons. The department formed two teams, which travelled to the area in two departmental vehicles and launched a search operation in the Hanur Forest Range.

At around 5 a.m., the teams noticed torchlight inside the forest and moved towards the location, which was around five kilometres from the village boundary. In the Karadikallu area, forest personnel came upon the poachers hiding behind boulders, firing at them.

Reddy said that after the forest staff came under fire, they returned fire in the direction from which the bullets were being fired. The poachers were positioned at a higher elevation and continued firing at the forest personnel, he said.

“The staff fired with the intention of saving their lives. The bullets hit the poachers above the waist. There was no ill-intention on the part of the forest personnel,” Reddy said.

He added that after hearing the cries of the injured men, the forest personnel moved towards them and found three persons lying on the ground. The injured men were immediately taken to the Kollegal hospital, but all three succumbed to their injuries. Their bodies were later shifted to the mortuary in Mysuru.

The deceased were from different villages, while another alleged hunter who escaped from the spot has been identified as Mahima Das. Around 10 forest personnel also received treatment for injuries, the minister said. A case has been registered in connection with the incident.

Reddy said the three men had allegedly travelled around eight kilometres into the reserve forest. Rejecting the claim by the families that they had entered the forest in search of cattle, he said no dead cattle were found in the area.

The minister also said the hunters had not obtained permission to enter the reserve forest. During the operation, forest personnel recovered around 34.5 kg of suspected wildlife meat, he said.

The operation began at around 8 p.m. on August 14 and continued until 5.30 a.m. on August 15, according to the minister.

Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka questioned the government’s account of the incident and demanded accountability for the deaths.

“People are raising questions over the claims made by the government. Why were the persons who were shot taken to a distant place?,” Ashoka said in the Assembly.

It can be noted that families of the three men killed in an alleged shoot-out with forest personnel in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary have disputed the Forest Department’s claim that the trio were habitual poachers, alleging that they were farmers who had gone into the forest area for reasons unrelated to hunting.