Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 16 : Karnataka Leader of Opposition and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader R Ashoka on Sunday demanded a judicial inquiry into the deaths of three people in an alleged encounter by forest officials in Chamarajanagar district, questioning the circumstances of the shootout and the subsequent handling of the bodies.
Ashoka said a protest was underway in Hanur and questioned the necessity behind the three encounters.
"In Karnataka's Chamarajanagar district, three people were killed in an encounter by the forest department. A protest is currently underway in Hanur within the Chamarajanagar district. I demand to know the necessity behind these three encounters," Ashoka said while speaking to reporters.
The BJP leader also questioned why the bodies were taken directly to the hospital immediately after the shootout instead of allowing the police to conduct procedures at the spot.
"The public says it is wrong, while the forest department claims it is right, but the real truth must come out. Immediately after the shootout took place, why did they transport the bodies straight to the hospital? The police should have arrived, conducted their procedures at the spot, and then sent the bodies for a post-mortem. Why were they moved to the hospital without informing the police department?," Ashoka asked.
"We demand a judicial inquiry into this incident, not a magisterial inquiry," he added.
The incident took place in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary area of Chamarajanagar district and resulted in the deaths of three men. Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said a magistrate-led investigation had been ordered into the Hanur shootout, in which three suspected poachers were killed in firing allegedly by forest personnel. He said the complete facts of the incident would be known only after the probe.
Further reacting to the NICE road project in Karnataka, R Ashoka alleged that it was a "scandal" and accused the Congress government of delaying action on toll collection despite a High Court direction.
Referring to Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy's letter to Chief Minister DK Shivakumar seeking action on the NICE project and stopping toll collection, Ashoka said the High Court had already directed the state government to stop the toll collection and open the road to the public.
"The NICE project in Karnataka is a scandal. The High Court has already directed the state government to immediately stop toll collection and open the road to the public. However, the Karnataka government, which is a Congress government, has not taken any decision so far because they are also involved. When the NICE project was started, the Congress was also in power in Karnataka," he added.
The NICE project was conceived to develop an infrastructure corridor connecting Bengaluru and Mysuru, including an expressway, peripheral and link roads, and five townships.