Mysuru: “I was no hunter. It was a fake encounter. Drunk forest officials held my left arm and shot at it. I lost it and my livelihood too. And I have had no justice even a year and nine months later,” says 33-year-old Venkatesha Bovi of Mudukana Moole, HD Kote taluk, who has approached everyone from the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission to Forest Minister, Ramanath Rai with his complaint against the forest officers concerned, but with little result.
It was at 9.30 pm, March 14, 2015 that his life changed forever. He claims he was not in the forest range, but on a neighbouring private farm with his two brothers- in -law to rescue his cow that had strayed into it ,when forest officials arrived and pumped his arm with bullets and dumped him at the HD Kote Government Hospital.
He was shifted to the KR Hospital where a neighbour recognised him and informed his family the next day. “I was referred to various hospitals and finally it was at Sparsh Hospital that I got the treatment I needed. As I am diabetic and the injury was grievous, they removed my left hand,” Venkatesha recounts.
But the then in-charge range officer has filed a complaint against him with the police, claiming he had entered the Kurnegala, Mooleyur tiger reserves in Mooleyur division, Bandipur for hunting and was caught with weapons. He was fired at in self-defence during an encounter, the officer said .
However, backing the injured man, who has little means of making a livng now, Mr Naveen Kumar N.M., honorary wildlife warden of Chamarajnagar district, points out that the police, who refused to take his complaint, did not even direct him to the executive magistrate to seek an inquiry. “The forest officers had no business firing at him. While I am all for protection of wildlife it is equally important to protect human rights,” he emphasises
When contacted, Mysuru Superintendent of Police, Ravi D Channannanavar, said he would direct the PSI HD Kote to file a fact finding report in the case and promised to take up the matter with the forest department as well.
