JOIN US A day after the forest staff opened fire and killed a suspected poacher, locals living in and around Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS), Kanakapura, have filed a murder complaint against the forest staff.
The forest department and police have also filed complaints against locals for vandalising public property and trespassing into the forest.
Deputy Conservator of Forests, CWS, Ramesh Kumar, said that on Thursday, the mob ransacked and set the forest checkpost afire and damaged a forest department jeep. A staffer in the checkpost was injured.
A Ramanagaram district police official said members of the deceased person’s (Gurumurthy Siddaiah) family have stated in the FIR that he was shot by the foresters when he had entered the forest late in the night in search of his cow and goat. Siddaiah and others carried weapons for self-defence.
Self-defence
Ramesh Kumar said that at 1.30 am on Thursday, the forest officials opened fire at a gang of six armed trespassers in self-defence and to protect wildlife. The forest staff had stumbled upon the carcass of a spotted deer and a porcupine in Uyyamballi Sangam Wildlife Range.
He said that last year too, locals had attacked the forest staff when an elephant had trampled a man who had strayed into the forest. Two years ago, forest staffers were hurt in a tussle with poachers.
Forest staff have registered 16 cases of cattle grazing and trespassing since January.
“The locals have the support of influential politicians from Kanakapura and Ramanagaram. They want free access to the forest and oppose all rules,” the police said.
Problems with locals
“CWS was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1987. In 2011, the Ramanagaram forest patch was added to the sanctuary after which problems with locals aggravated.
“Political pressure has increased in the last three years. Locals frequently kill wild boar and spotted deer for meat at the behest of influential people. The meat fetches a high price,” said a forest official.
Unanswered questions
Why did locals go in search of goats and cows at 1 am into the prohibited forest area?
Why didn’t the Ramanagaram deputy commissioner or minister D K Shivakumar pacify locals?
Why didn’t the tahsildar visit the spot and inspect the scene?
Will the home department provide security to foresters and the forest patch after the incident?