Overview
- Three men identified in reports as John Rose Peter, Sebastian David Kumar and Anthonysamy were shot dead in the Datti/Cauvery sanctuary on August 15, and the forest department said they were suspected poachers killed in an exchange of fire.
- Karnataka DGP M.A. Saleem ordered the transfer of four cases registered at Ramapura, Hanur and Kollegala Rural police stations to the Crime Investigation Department and asked the CID to take over the investigations and submit a detailed report.
- Leaked and widely cited post-mortem details reported by political leaders and media indicate close-range gunshot wounds and injuries some say are consistent with assault, which has led families and parties to reject the encounter claim and demand a CBI probe.
- The incident has triggered local unrest in Chamarajanagar, with reports of damaged and destroyed anti-poaching camps, staff quarters and government vehicles that have increased tensions along the Karnataka–Tamil Nadu border.
- The CID takeover is the next formal step in the inquiry but political calls for a central CBI investigation, demands for Rs 1 crore compensation for each family and Tamil Nadu leaders’ interventions mean the case could escalate beyond a state probe.