Primers used in country-made firearms to ignite gunpowder
Chamarajanagar: There have been fresh developments in the forest encounter case that occurred in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary in Hanur taluk on Aug. 15, with the investigation taking a new turn following the recovery of material that the Forest Department claims points to the deceased being poachers.
According to reliable sources in the Department, five aluminium primers, commonly used in country-made firearms to act as a fuel that throws hot sparks, were recovered during the post-mortem examination of the deceased.
The recovery has strengthened the Forest Department’s suspicion that the three men had entered the forest for hunting.
During a search for suspected poachers on the intervening night of Aug. 14 and 15, forest officials shot dead Antony Swamy, 50, John Rose Peter, 43 and Sebastian David Kumar 35, in the Hanur region of the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary.
The State Government has ordered a magisterial inquiry to determine the circumstances leading to the firing and whether criminal proceedings should be initiated against the forest officials.
Concealed in undergarments
The primers were reportedly concealed in the undergarments of the deceased. Antony Swamy and John Rose Peter were each found carrying five aluminium primers hidden in their inner clothing.
Kumar, meanwhile, had two small batteries, beedis, a matchbox and a packet of chewing tobacco in the pocket of his shorts. Aluminium primers are used in country-made firearms to ignite gunpowder.
The autopsies were conducted at the K.R. Hospital mortuary in Mysuru in the presence of revenue officials. Chamarajanagar Tahsildar B. Girija oversaw the post-mortem of Peter; Kollegal Tahsildar A.E. Basavaraj supervised Kumar’s autopsy, while Yelandur Tahsildar Nayana was present during the examination of Antony Swamy’s body.
Shot from 10 feet
The post-mortem findings reportedly showed that Antony Swamy and Peter had been shot from a distance of around 10 feet. Peter had a wound extending about 28 centimetres from his left ear to his chest, reportedly caused by a forest staff member using a slide-action gun.
Meanwhile, Mahimadas, who had accompanied the three men into the forest, has given his statement to the investigators. He was admitted to a hospital in Mysuru following the incident and was later discharged.
Mahimadas maintained that the three were not poachers and had entered the forest only to search for Antony Swamy’s missing cow. He said they were not carrying any guns, knives or machetes. “When the forest staff opened fire, I was sitting on a rock. Terrified, I ran away,” he told investigators. He said it was around 5 am-5.30 am when a team of forest officials arrived and opened fire. He immediately fled into the forest and said the firing continued for about five minutes.
“Later, I felt uncomfortable and got admitted to the hospital. Now I am worried about what will happen to me and about the inquiry by the Forest Department and Police,” he said.
This post was published on August 23, 2026 7:30 pm