BENGALURU: A Deputy Range Forest Officer (Sathanur range) and his team were attacked by some villagers when they had gone to drive away a tusker in the vicinity of Kabbalu forest. The incident happened at Halasinamaradoddi in Sathanur hobli of Kanakapura taluk between 9 pm and 10.30 pm on Friday. A complaint was filed by DRFO P Muthuswamy Naik in Ramanagara on Saturday.
The villagers were reportedly frustrated after their crops were destroyed by tuskers and also due to the delayed response of the forest department. On being confronted, the DRFO immediately called the local police. Even the policemen have been attacked. The villagers threatened to set fire to all of them by dousing them with petrol.
The DRFO, in his complaint, accused villagers Kiran, KT Sundar, Guruprasad, Thimmesh and Pratap of attacking him and his staff. Two policemen, identified as Jagadish and Sharanabasava, were also beaten.
Jagadish is attached to the Sathanur police station while Sharanabasava is attached to the Channapatna District Armed Reserve (DAR). Munesh, Shaskikumar and Shankaramurthy, working as patrolling staff on contract basis, were attacked along with the complainant.
Naik stated that after receiving information about the tusker, the patrolling team were sent to the spot in a government jeep. The accused are alleged to have stopped the jeep by placing stones and also confined the staff.
The staff then informed Naik, who called the police control room and also rushed to the spot. The accused later escaped after the policemen called their seniors for additional force.
“Three persons identified as Kiran, KT Sundar and Pratap, residents of Halasinamaradoddi and Kuruballidoddi, have been arrested. All the three have been remanded in judicial custody. Search for the remaining accused are on. An argument between the villagers and the forest officials escalated and the forest officials were attacked. Two policemen have also been attacked,” said an officer.
A case of attempt to murder (BNS 109) along with other sections of the BNS has been registered against the accused.