Chamarajanagar, 16 August

Protests were held in Chamarajanagar and Mysuru on Sunday seeking justice for three men who were killed in an alleged exchange of fire with Forest Department personnel on 15 August.

Tension prevailed in Hanur in Chamarajanagar district as villagers and family members of the three deceased men protested in the Datti forest area. They blocked the road to Male Mahadeshwara Hills (MM Hills) and demanded action against the forest personnel involved in the shooting.

The protesters demanded that the forest personnel who opened fire be brought to the spot and questioned. TV visuals showed pushing and jostling between protesters and police amid heavy security arrangements.

The incident occurred early on Saturday in the dense forest area under the Shagya range of the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, where forest personnel, acting on information about suspected poaching activity, encountered four men. The forest department claimed that the alleged poachers opened fire first, but residents have been alleging that the use of force by the government was unwarranted, arguing that even if they had entered the forest for hunting, they should not have been killed.

"They should have shot them in the hand or leg, but instead, they shot them in the neck and killed all three," the protesters alleged. 

Politicians in Tamil Nadu have claimed that the deceased were Tamil and condemned the use of force. 

The villagers later withdrew their protests after Hanur MLA MR Manjunath visited the agitating family members in front of the forest department office and announced Rs.15 lakh compensation. 

Hanur Police have registered an FIR against forest officials involved in the incident under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with punishment for murder, after a formal complaint was lodged by the wife of one of the deceased, officials said.

Protests were also held in Mysuru, where police were seen trying to disperse demonstrators to de-escalate the situation. The situation was later brought under control, officials said.

Assistant Commissioner, Kollegala Sub-Division, Dinesh Kumar Meena noted that a Magistrate probe was underway. 

“Without the reports, it won't be a fair inquiry. So, let's wait for the reports," Meena told reporters.

Meanwhile, a Mysuru-based activist approached the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission seeking an impartial inquiry into the incident and the circumstances leading to the shootout.

Meanwhile, BJP leader R Ashoka questioned why the new Forest Minister Ramalinga Reddy was yet to visit the spot, alleging the latter was “uninterested” in the department. 

Ashoka demanded a CBI probe into the incident to ensure impartiality, claiming that it had been years since an incident like this had happened in Karnataka.