TIRUVANNAMALAI: A forest guard was shot by wild animal hunters at Kavuthimalai Reserve Forest (RF) in Tiruvannamalai district during the wee hours of Saturday.
A team of eight forest department personnel was conducting vehicles-check at the RF on Saturday around 1.40 am when two men in a two-wheeler came that way. "The two men were carrying a country-made gun for hunting. They were on the way to hunt a spotted deer at the RF," R Manoharan, Forest Ranger, Tiruvannamalai, told Express.
"After they saw the forest guards, the men stopped the vehicle at a distance from the checking point and took a roundabout to avoid being caught. Seeing the hunters flee, two forest guards - R Balaji (22) and N Sampath (56) - began to chase them in a two-wheeler," the ranger said.
52-year-old Venkatesan, one of the two hunters who was riding pillion, fired a shot towards the forest guards. The pellet fired from the country-made gun struck Sampath on the right side of his neck forcing him off the vehicle along with the other guard, Manoharan said.
Panicking, the hunters fell on the road and sustained severe injuries. During which, the guards caught them and seized the gun.
The forest guards were rescued and admitted to Tiruvannamalai Government Medical College Hospital. Tiruvannamalai District Forest Officer (DFO), R Kirubashankkar, told Express, "The two hunters were arrested and the injured forest guards are under treatment. They are out of danger."
Based on a complaint lodged by the forest guards at Tiruvannamalai Taluk, the two hunters, Venkatesan of Melsozhangkuppam and Sivashankaran of Gandhapalayam, were arrested under various Sections of the Indian Arms act, 1959, and Section 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), Section 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), and Section 307 (attempt to murder) of Indian Penal Code (IPC), a police source said.