MYSURU: The controversial Hanur forest shootout, in which three men were killed in an exchange of fire with Forest Department personnel, took a fresh turn on Tuesday after Mahima Das, who had reportedly fled the spot and remained untraceable, released a video from an undisclosed location, claiming that he feared for his life and needs protection.
Das, who was allegedly with the three deceased men when the firing took place in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, had been admitted to a private hospital in Mysuru. Minister Puttaranga Shetty had visited the hospital and enquired about his health. But, after his treatment, Das had gone missing.
In the video, which was shared with the media by his villagers, he gives an account of the incident and claims that the forest officials opened fire soon after four of them came down a hill.
Das claims in the video that the firing took place around 5.30 am on August 15. “I came down the hill around 5.30 am. Forest Department personnel arrived and opened fire. I was frightened and ran away. There was no sound for about five minutes. I returned home. As I was unwell, I was taken to a hospital,” he said.
Lourde Mary, wife of the deceased Anthony, has stated in her complaint that the four had gone to the forest in search of a missing cow. But the Forest Department says that the four were poachers and were in the forest to hunt.
The officials encountered them after getting information about their presence inside the forest, leading to the shootout. Though the Forest Department claims that the alleged poachers shot at them first and they retaliated only in self-defence, Das has stated that the foresters started shooting soon after they came down a hill.
The video shows him speaking in Kannada for 50 seconds and in Tamil for 30 seconds. It is not clear whether the investigating authorities have located him. It shows him sitting inside a hospital. Das further claims that he had learnt that forest department officials were looking for him to use him as a witness in the case.
His statement assumes significance in the ongoing magisterial inquiry, as he was believed to be with the three deceased at the time of firing. The magisterial inquiry ordered by the Chamarajanagar district administration is headed by Kollegala Sub-Divisional Officer Dinesh Kumar Meena. He has been told to submit the report within seven days. The inquiry is expected to examine the circumstances leading to the firing, sequence of events, claims made by the Forest Department, evidence recovered from the spot and allegations made by the families of the deceased.
