Even as the ruling Congress government in Karnataka ordered a magisterial inquiry into the killing of three suspected poachers in a forest in Hanur taluk of Chamarajanagar district by Forest Department personnel in the early hours of August 15, the opposition BJP and JD(S) demanded a judicial probe. They sought the resignation of Forest Minister Ramalinga Reddy, holding him morally responsible for the incident.

Leader of Opposition R. Ashok raised the issue in the Legislative Assembly on August 17 and demanded compensation of ₹1 crore each for the families of the three deceased, whom he described as having been ‘murdered’ by Forest Department personnel.

Mr. Ashok alleged that the Forest Department had killed local residents in a ‘pre-planned encounter’ and demanded an impartial judicial inquiry. “This is a murder committed by the government,” he said.

BJP members V. Sunil Kumar, Araga Jnanendra and B.Y. Vijayendra, and JD(S) members Suresh Babu and M.T. Krishnappa also raised the issue, alleging that the incident was a pre-planned encounter and that innocent people had been killed by forest personnel.

Mr. Ashok said a fourth person, who was injured in the incident, had been admitted to the K.R. Hospital in Mysuru, but had subsequently disappeared. The government’s explanation, he said, did not mention the injured person’s statement. “If the three deceased were forest offenders like Veerappan, so many farmers would not have been protesting on their behalf,” he said.

He questioned the government’s claim that the deceased had no previous forest offence cases. “If they had any criminal history, their names should have figured in the rowdy sheets,” he said.

Mr. Ashok questioned the circumstances of the firing. “The Forest Department personnel did not fire from a distance of half-a-kilometre. They fired from very close range. This cannot be called a retaliatory attack,” he said.

While forest personnel had the right to fire in self-defence, he said, they could have aimed at the legs if they were confronted at close quarters. Instead, the firing was directed at the chest and neck, he alleged.

The BJP leader questioned why only three forest personnel had gone to the spot after receiving information about the presence of alleged poachers when a large number of staff were available in the area. “What was the need to kill all three? If one person had been shot, the others would have fled,” he said.

Mr. Ashok said people living on the fringes of forests depend on them for firewood and cattle-grazing. “If they are intimidated like this, no one will be able to enter the forest,” he said.

Condemnation by Tamil Nadu

Mr. Ashok said Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay had condemned the incident and questioned the killing of residents of Tamil Nadu. He said Mr. Vijay had stated on social media that Karnataka’s explanation was unacceptable. “Even when an allied party has made such a statement, the Karnataka government has not given a clarification,” he said.

Minister’s reply

Mr. Ramalinga Reddy, in his reply, identified the three deceased as Antony Swamy, 50, John Rose Peter, 42, and Kumar alias Sawariyappan, 33, residents of villages on the fringes of the Cauvery Wildlife Reserve. A fourth alleged poacher, Mahimadan, 45, was injured and admitted to a private hospital, he said.

According to the Forest Department’s report, Mr. Reddy stated, two teams spotted four persons carrying an unlicenced firearm and four bags of deer meat after hunting in the forest. Around 5 a.m., when it was still dark, forest personnel opened fire after allegedly coming under fire from the suspected poachers. The personnel used a slide action gun, which caused multiple injuries and death of three persons, he told the Assembly.

Mr. Reddy said the inquiry would establish the facts and that action would be taken against the forest personnel if any wrongdoing was found. “If it is found that our officials made a mistake, we will definitely take action,” he said.