All-night search, a panicked guard: What led to deaths of 3 men in Karnataka forest

In the early hours of August 15, a forest guard in the Hanur forest, located on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border, panicked after encountering suspected poachers and opened fire, resulting in the deaths of three men. The incident began as a search operation by the forest department based on a tip-off received on August 14 around 8 pm.

The victims were identified as Anthony Swamy, 50; John Rose Peter, 43; and Sebastian David Kumar, 35. A fourth suspect, Mahima Das, alias Benjamin, 45, managed to escape. Lourde Mary, the wife of Anthony Swamy, filed a police complaint alleging that the men were sleeping in the forest after a cattle search turned into a poaching expedition.

The political controversy surrounding the incident led to Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar ordering a magisterial inquiry. Forensic findings indicate that the fatal shots were fired from a "slide action gun" (pump shotgun) at close range, not point blank. The nature of the wounds on the victims suggests that the shots were fired from a near distance, as opposed to a long-range firing.

Karnataka Forest Minister Ramalinga Reddy stated that the fatal shots were fired by a forest guard from a forest department shotgun, number R721035, after the forest patrol group encountered the suspects.