Mysuru: The lone survivor in the Hanur villagers’ killing case, Joseph Mahima Das, has said he is living in fear.As a BJP fact-finding committee led by former minister N Mahesh visited the site, a one-minute video of Mahima Das surfaced and went viral on social media. Recorded at an undisclosed location, the footage shows him recounting the events of Aug. 15.Mahima Das, who was with three other villagers who were killed, said it was around 5am-5.30am when a team of foresters arrived and started shooting. He said he immediately fled into the forest and that the firing stopped after about five minutes.“Later I felt uncomfortable and then got admitted to the hospital,” he said. “Now I fear about what would happen to me and about inquiry by forest and police.”The BJP team, constituted under the direction of state BJP president BY Vijayendra to probe the Aug 15 killings in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, met the families of Sebastian David Kumar, John Rose Peter and Antony Swamy. It also visited Mahima Das’s home and gathered information.Speaking to reporters, Mahesh alleged that the deceased were farmers, not hunters. He said there were suspicions of a staged encounter and called for a thorough investigation. He also urged the government to provide police protection to key witness Mahima Das.DSP Ashwatthanarayan of the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission visited the site of the Aug 15 shooting Wednesday and met the families of the deceased.Family members told the officer the deceased earned their livelihood through farming and dairy work and were not hunters. They appealed for the truth to be uncovered and for justice to be delivered.During the visit, ACF Mariswamy briefed the DSP on the exchange of fire and the operation carried out by forest personnel. Officials recorded statements from the families and documented details from the scene.Chamarajanagar MP Sunil Bose also visited the homes of the three deceased villagers in Thomiyar Palya, Mariyamangala and Lazar Doddi in Hanur taluk, heard their grievances, and personally gave compensation of Rs 1 lakh each to the bereaved families.
