Published Aug 16, 2026 | 12:12 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 16, 2026 | 9:03 PM
The forest officials came across the group of men at 5 AM on August 15, during a routine patrol.(Wikimedia)
Hanur police have registered an FIR against forest officials after three men were killed in firing near Mariya Mangala in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary on August 15.
The FIR has been registered based on the complaint of the wife of one of the deceased.
Lourdu Mary, wife of Anthony Swamy (50), in her complaint alleged that her husband, along with three other men, had entered the forest area to search for their missing cattle when the forest officials opened fire. Swamy and two other men -Sebastian David Kumar (35) and John Rose Peter (43)- were killed in the firing, while a fourth man, Mahim Das, escaped.
Based on the complaint, the Hanur police registered a case under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. The FIR has also been sent to the Additional Civil Judge (Junior Division) and the JMFC Court in Kollegala.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister D.K Shivakumar has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident, after forest officials alleged that the men were suspected poachers and carried unlicensed guns.
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The forest officials have alleged that the men were suspected poachers and were found with unlicensed guns and deer meat. They said the men had opened fire on them prompting retaliation which resulted in the deaths. One forest official was reportedly injured during the incident.
According to Minister Ramalinga Reddy, the forest officials came across the group of men at 5 AM on August 15, during a routine patrol. They were allegedly carrying four bags of deer meat and an unlicensed gun. The forest teams encountered the men on the LA Mada D-line route in the reserve forest under the Hanur taluk.
The minister said that the forest officials had claimed that they opened fire in fear for their lives after the men shot at them. However, he stressed that the government will conclude the matter only according to the findings of the magisterial probe.
“After an inquiry, the actual position will be known. After that, we will take necessary action,” he said, adding that action will be taken against the forest officials if they are found to have done any mistakes.
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The Communist Party of India (CPI), Tamil Nadu State Council, has strongly condemned the killing of the three Tamil-origin farmers in the Chamarajanagar forest area.
In a statement issued by CPI Tamil Nadu State Secretary M. Veerapandian, the party said the deceased were farmers from Thomaiahpalayam village in Hanur taluk who were originally from Tamil Nadu and were accustomed to taking their cattle and livestock into the forest for grazing.
The CPI alleged that Anthony Raj, John and Kumar had entered the forest in search of missing cattle and were shot dead by Karnataka Forest Department personnel.
The party accused the Forest Department of attempting to divert attention from the killings by falsely portraying the deceased as hunters.
The CPI said the killings could not be justified and demanded that the forest officials responsible be dismissed from service and arrested. It also demanded that the Karnataka government register a murder case against those responsible and order an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The party further demanded that the Karnataka government provide appropriate compensation to the families of the deceased.
The CPI Tamil Nadu State Council also urged the Tamil Nadu government to formally condemn the incident and convey its objection to the Karnataka government.
DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi expressed shock and the killings and called for a transparent investigation.
“No government or authority has the right to take human lives,” he said in a post on X.
“Taking into account the doubts raised by the families of the deceased, a transparent investigation must be conducted. The Tamil Nadu government should provide appropriate relief to the families of the three deceased, and continue to press the Karnataka government to bring out the true facts of this incident.”
(Edited by Fayisa CA)
