The fire spread across the Shilubepura forest area and damaged around 10 acres, officials said, adding that a poaching prevention camp near Jageri was also destroyed. (DC FIle)

Mysuru: A forest fire allegedly set by miscreants has damaged around 10 acres in the Shilubepura forest area in Chamarajanagar district, days after a poaching prevention camp was blown up, Forest Department sources said on Thursday. Forest officials suspect the miscreants set it on fire to avenge the killing of three suspected poachers in Chamarajanagar on August 15.

The fire spread across the Shilubepura forest area and damaged around 10 acres, they said, adding that a poaching prevention camp near Jageri was also destroyed.


Anti-poaching drive triggers inter-state controversy

The latest incident comes after several anti-poaching camps in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary in Chamarajanagar were allegedly blown up using explosives amid continuing anger against the Forest Department following the killing of alleged poachers in an exchange of fire on August 15.

Forest Department personnel have been releasing videos one after another following the incidents, sources said.

Unidentified miscreants had allegedly blown up several anti-poaching camps in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary in Chamarajanagar using explosives.

The Minchinarehalla anti-poaching camp in the Kothanur zone was reportedly destroyed using dynamite and gelatin sticks.

The intensity of the blast damaged the camp walls and burnt materials kept inside, sources added.

Several other anti-poaching camps in the Kothanur zone -- Minchinahalli, Bheemeshwari, Ollemarada Hatti, Budikere, Bandahalli and Kalidoddi were also targeted in the intervening night of August 18-19.

There were no injuries to anyone.

Reacting to the developments, Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday said the government would wait for the outcome of the inquiry into the August 15 killing of the three alleged poachers before commenting on the matter.

The three deceased men -- Anthony Samy, John Rose Peter and Kumar, residents of villages in Hanur taluk of Chamarajanagar district, were shot dead by Forest Department personnel in the early hours of August 15 in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary area.

According to Karnataka authorities, forest personnel conducting an anti-poaching operation after receiving information about suspected wildlife poaching came under fire from the group, following which the personnel allegedly fired in self-defence.

The three men were killed in the exchange of fire.

The issue has echoed in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, with political parties claiming the victims were Tamils and had questioned the Karnataka officials' explanation over the firing incident.

Following the incident, Tamil Nadu CM C Joseph Vijay strongly condemned the alleged killings and said the explanation given by the Karnataka Forest Department regarding the incident is "unacceptable".

A fair investigation should be conducted by a high-level committee on the heinous incident, he had said in a social media post late on Sunday.

The issue also came up in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Tuesday, with members moving a call attention motion demanding a high-level probe into the forest department firing incident. 

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