Karnataka Forest Shootout: Families Claim Staged Encounter

Three men residing near Karnataka's Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary were reportedly killed by forest department officials early Saturday morning, August 16, 2026. Forest authorities stated the men were poachers who fired first, but the victims' families contend they were seeking lost cattle and claim the incident was a staged encounter. The deceased have been identified as Antony Swamy, John Rose Peter, and Kumar Sawariyappan, with Joseph Mahima Das surviving minor injuries. Investigations are currently underway, with a magisterial inquiry ordered by Chief Minister D K Shivakumar to probe the shootout. Protests and public unrest followed the incident, with villagers damaging a forest office. The Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary is a crucial ecological corridor housing diverse wildlife.

The incident occurred around 5 am in the Hanur forest range. A murder case has been registered based on a complaint filed by Antony Swamy's wife, Mary. She stated that the group left their village around 6:30 pm on Friday, August 15, 2026, to find two missing cows. According to her complaint, the men rested on a rock within the forest, only to be fired upon by forest officials between 3 am and 5 am on Saturday. Forest officials, however, reported intercepting the group who they suspected of poaching and carrying wildlife meat, claiming the men initiated the gunfire. A detailed report from the inquiry is expected within a week.