Revenge for Aug. 15 forest encounter?
Forest sleuths fear for safety as retaliation escalates in border
Chamarajanagar: In what can be termed as continued retaliation for the alleged forest encounter that occurred on Aug. 15, in which three persons (called poachers by the Government) were killed by Forest Department shooters, miscreants set the forest on fire, turning around 10 acres of forest into ashes.
The incident took place at Shilubepura in Kollegal taluk of Chamarajanagar district last night. According to sources, a group of miscreants set the fire at 5-6 locations using petrol or diesel to ensure that the fire spread faster. Fortunately, the forest sleuths who arrived at the spot on time were able to douse the fire, preventing it from causing further damage.
Sources also added that the miscreants, in an attempt to divert the investigation into the recent encounter of three alleged poachers, were deliberately creating new situations. It may be recalled that following the encounter incident, miscreants had damaged around 11 Anti- Poaching Camps in the area using gelatine sticks.
In fact, the miscreants have been using forest brigand Veerappan’s methods, such as placing boulders and wooden logs and digging potholes on roads to prevent the forest sleuths from reaching the incident spots.
Meanwhile, the sources also said that three people who were killed in the encounter were poachers involved in hunting wild animals, including deer, for meat and pelt. However, with the investigation going on, a final report is awaited.
KSRTC bus stopped at Palar check-post
Following the encounter incident, villagers residing on the fringes of the forest near the Tamil Nadu border have been creating panic in an attempt to create a tense situation between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Yesterday, a group of miscreants stopped a KSRTC bus heading towards Male Mahadeshwara Hills (M.M. Hills) in protest against the encounter. However, timely intervention by the Police ensured that the bus moved towards M.M. Hills.
Forest sleuths fear for life
The retaliation by villagers in the border areas has created panic among forest sleuths, especially forest guards who enter the deep forest areas on regular beats. They are in constant fear of being attacked by miscreants inside the forest.
Following the incidents of forest fires and attacks on anti-poaching camps, the Forest Department has filed complaints at the respective jurisdictional Police Stations seeking action against the miscreants.
The Forest Department is also keeping a close watch on people entering the forest area. It has increased patrolling to prevent incidents of fire and poaching of wild animals. Meanwhile, the Police Department is also keeping a close watch to prevent untoward incidents.
This post was published on August 20, 2026 7:30 pm