Mysuru/ Chamarajanagar: Mystery surrounds the killings in Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary in Hanur taluk in Chamarajanagar district even as the three villagers, who were allegedly shot dead inside the sanctuary by the patrolling forest personnel during the pre-dawn hour of Aug 15, were laid to rest on Monday.John Rose Peter and Sebastian David Kumar were laid to rest at Thomiyarpalya, while Anthony Swamy was buried at Mariyamangala village cemetery as per Christian tradition, according to a relative.Hanur MLA MR Manjunth, who called on the family members of the deceased, handed over financial assistance of Rs 15 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased persons. Manjunath told TOI that locals are dependent on forest for their daily livelihood, and villagers keep entering the forest areas.A police officer told TOI that their immediate priority was to maintain peace and law and order. Since there were protests and incidents in the aftermath of the deaths of three suspected poachers, the focus was on protecting lives and public property. Now the investigation will begin into murder charges, he stated.A murder case against the foresters’ team has been registered at Hanur police station following a complaint by Lourdmary, wife of Anthony Swamy.Meanwhile, doubts were raised over the killings and the number of weapons issued by forest personnel in the incident. There is also uncertainty regarding the exact time of death, with questions emerging about discrepancies between the reported timeline and what the families are claiming.Moreover, the whereabouts of Joseph Mahimadas, who was with the three villagers at the time of their killing, are not known. He was admitted to a private hospital in Mysuru, but was discharged later.A police officer said the post-mortem is expected to clarify key issues, including the nature of wounds, the type of the weapon used, and the estimated time of death.MLC Ivan demands SIT probeCongress MLC Ivan D’Souza, who took part in the burial at Hanur, has called for a Special Investigation Team (SIT) inquiry into the deaths of three people who died in an encounter involving forest staff. Speaking to reporters at Mariyamangala in Hanur taluk, he said the actions of the forest officials are unacceptable, and alleged that they had acted beyond limits.He said a magisterial inquiry would take too long and that an SIT investigation would be more appropriate. He also urged the govt to announce compensation of at least Rs 1 crore for each of the bereaved families and provide a govt job to one member from each family.
