Karnataka forest shootings: How a 1991 order guards forest staff from murder charge

A magisterial inquiry into the shooting of three alleged poachers by forest officials in Karnataka's Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary will determine whether criminal proceedings will be initiated against the officers involved. A government order from 1991 grants temporary immunity from prosecution to forest officers involved in encounters in protected areas due to the high poaching activities at the time, particularly by notorious poacher Veerappan, who killed over 180 people, including forest officers.

The three men — Antony Swamy, John Rose Peter, and Sebastian David Kumar — were shot by forest officers during a search on August 15, 1991. The Karnataka Forest Minister stated that the magisterial inquiry report is expected to be delivered to the state government on August 22, and a murder case has been registered based on a complaint from Swamy's wife.

However, the police investigation has been delayed pending the inquiry report, as mandated by the 1991 order. The forest department has not filed any complaint against the deceased men for poaching but has filed cases against villagers who vandalized forest camps after the killings. Three of the four men who entered the Hanur forest on August 15 were found to be poachers, according to Chief Conservator of Forests Dr Malathi Priya.