Government orders judicial inquiry

Bengaluru: The killing of three men in an exchange of fire with Forest Department personnel on Aug. 15 at Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary in Chamarajanagar led to an uproar in the Karnataka Legislative Council this morning, forcing a brief adjournment of the House.

The Government assured the Council that a judicial inquiry would establish the truth and that action would be taken based on its findings.

Opposition Leader Chalavadi Narayanaswamy questioned the circumstances surrounding the deaths and sought an immediate clarification from the Government.

He questioned the Police version of the incident, particularly the circumstances in which the three men were shot and sought details about a fourth person who, he claimed, was injured and later disappeared from a Mysuru hospital.

Narayanaswamy also questioned the claim that the victims were involved in forest offences, pointing to the Government’s own statements that there was no clear information linking some of them to such offences.

He further questioned the circumstances of the firing and referred to medical findings which, he said, indicated that the victims had been shot from close range. “If it was firing in self-defence, why were they shot from such close range?” he asked.

His remarks triggered an uproar in the House, prompting Chairman Saleem Ahmed to briefly adjourn the proceedings.

“Three precious lives were snatched. It is a murder committed by the Government only. Those killed were minorities. Justice should be done to the families,” Narayanaswamy said.

Responding to the Opposition, Forest Minister R. Ramalinga Reddy said the Government had not accepted either the Forest Department’s version or the conflicting statements of those connected with the incident as conclusive.

He said the Government would await the judicial inquiry’s findings before deciding on further action.

Meanwhile, the incident also figured in the Legislative Assembly, where Opposition Leader R. Ashoka attacked the Government and referred to the remarks of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay.

“This is not an encounter, the Government has murdered three men. Shouldn’t there be punishment?” Ashoka quoted Vijay as saying.

Ashoka also questioned the differing versions from the Forest Department, local representatives and the District Administration, alleging that the Government had failed to provide a convincing explanation of what happened in the forest.