Hanur Encounter: BJP Seeks Justice for Families, Accountability for Forest Officials
Bengaluru: Karnataka BJP President BY Vijayendra has demanded a comprehensive and impartial judicial inquiry into the Hanur encounter in Chamarajanagar district, in which three alleged poachers were killed in an exchange of fire with forest personnel.
Vijayendra said the government should not restrict the investigation to a magisterial inquiry and should order a judicial probe to establish the circumstances leading to the deaths. He also demanded compensation of Rs 1 crore each for the families of the three deceased and a government job for one member of each family.
“The government must ensure justice to the families irrespective of the religion of the deceased. The incident should not be given a caste or religious colour. The focus should be on establishing the truth and fixing responsibility,” Vijayendra said.
He questioned whether allegations that the three men had gone hunting could justify the use of lethal force. He said the circumstances surrounding the encounter, including the claim that forest officials had surrounded the men and that they were carrying a torch, should be examined in detail.
Vijayendra also questioned whether the officials had exhausted other lawful means of controlling the situation before opening fire, particularly considering that the incident reportedly took place around 5 am in low-light conditions.
“The investigation should establish whether the forest officials acted within the law and whether there was any lapse in the discharge of their duties. If anyone is found guilty, irrespective of whether they are officials or civilians, action must be taken according to law,” he said.
The BJP president said the incident should also be viewed against the backdrop of continuing tensions between forest officials and communities living along forest fringes. He pointed to recurring human-wildlife and forest-related conflicts in Kodagu, Shivamogga, Malnad, Uttara Kannada and coastal Karnataka.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka BJP has constituted a fact-finding team to examine the August 15 shooting incident. The team comprises BJP state vice-president N Mahesh, state secretary Lakshmi Ashwin Gowda, party Minority Morcha state president Anil Thomas, former MLA C.S. Niranjan Kumar and party leader Hanur Venkatesh.
The team has been directed to visit the encounter site, conduct an independent assessment and submit a detailed report within a week.
According to the BJP, the firing took place around 5 am on August 15 in the Holemuradatti forest area near Shagya in the Hanur Wildlife Range of the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary. Three suspected poachers were killed in the incident involving forest department personnel.
The state government has already ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident. Kollegal Assistant Commissioner Dinesh Kumar Meena is conducting the inquiry.
Vijayendra said the government should not avoid accountability by citing incidents that occurred during previous administrations. If similar encounters had taken place under earlier governments, those incidents too should be investigated, he said.
“The question is not which government was in power when an incident occurred. If there has been wrongdoing, there must be an investigation. But previous incidents cannot be used as a reason to avoid responsibility in the present case,” he said.
Vijayendra also welcomed the Enforcement Directorate searches in connection with alleged irregularities in Karnataka Public Service Commission recruitment and demanded a CBI investigation into the matter.
He alleged that delays in KPSC examinations, publication of results and interview procedures were causing hardship to lakhs of aspirants. According to him, the issue should not be viewed merely through the question of which government appointed the KPSC chairman or members.
“If irregularities have taken place, there must be an impartial investigation,” he said, urging the state government to recommend a CBI probe into the alleged recruitment scam.
The BJP has therefore raised three key demands — a judicial inquiry into the Hanur encounter, ₹1 crore compensation and a government job for a family member of each deceased person, and a CBI investigation into alleged KPSC recruitment irregularities.
The demands are likely to add to the political pressure on the state government as questions continue to be raised over the circumstances surrounding the Hanur firing and the accountability of forest officials.
