Pramesh S Jain
Three suspected poachers were killed in an exchange of fire with forest personnel in the Shagya forest area of the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary in Chamarajanagar early Saturday morning.
According to preliminary information,forest officials had rushed to the area following information about suspected hunting activity.
The suspects allegedly opened fire at the forest personnel, who retaliated, leading to a gunfight.
The deceased have been identified as Antony Swamy, Peter and Kumar.
The bodies were later brought to the K.R.Hospital mortuary in Mysuru,where tight police security has been deployed.
Meanwhile,families of the three deceased men are demanding justice and a fair investigation.
Vijay,a relative of all three,questioned the circumstances of their deaths,saying the families still do not know why they were shot.
He claimed the three men had gone to graze cattle,and questioned the need for an encounter even if they were allegedly carrying weapons.
The families,based in Mysuru,said they learnt about the incident this morning and rushed to the city.All three deceased men were married and had young children.
