Bengaluru: State BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra has alleged that the State Government is making every effort to conceal the truth surrounding the sensational forest encounter in Hanur taluk of Chamarajanagar district, in which three persons were killed on Aug. 15.

Addressing media persons here yesterday, Vijayendra said the BJP’s Fact-Finding Committee had gathered vital information that raised doubts and serious questions about the incident.

The deceased were Anthony Swamy (50), John Rose Peter (43) and Sebastian David Kumar (35), residents of three villages on the fringes of the forest.

Shot from close range

Questioning the delay in releasing the post-mortem report, Vijayendra demanded that the Government make its contents public. He said the prolonged delay had itself raised suspicions.

Releasing photographs of the victims, he claimed that the bullet injuries on their shoulders and necks prima facie indicated that they had been shot from close range.

“Ballistic experts have also ruled out the possibility of the shots being fired from a long distance, which is in line with the opinion of the doctor who conducted the autopsy and the observations in the post-mortem report,” he said.

Vijayendra questioned why the Government was still delaying the release of the report.

“The findings of the Fact-Finding Committee raise a fundamental question: Was this really an encounter, or was there some other reason behind their killings?” he asked, claiming that the deceased were neither habitual offenders nor had any criminal antecedents.

Fourth person missing?

Vijayendra also sought clarification on the whereabouts of Mahimadas, the fourth person who was allegedly accompanying the victims when the encounter took place and managed to escape. He reportedly went missing after the incident.

“He could be a key witness. There is a suspicion that the Forest and Police Departments are keeping him underground,” Vijayendra alleged.

He also pointed out that Minister C. Puttarangashetty and Chamarajanagar MP Sunil Bose had initially acknowledged lapses on the part of forest personnel, but later changed their stand.

Vijayendra demanded that the case be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to ensure a free and fair probe without interference from influential Government departments.

Vijayendra also urged the State Government to announce a compensation of Rs. 1 crore each to the families of the three deceased on humanitarian grounds, besides providing a Government job to one of their next of kin.