Karnataka Police Registers FIR Against 17 Forest Officers Over Tribal Man's Death in Mysuru

The  Karnataka police has registered an FIR against 17 state forest Department officials in connection with the death of a tribal man in Mysuru district. FIRs have been booked at the Antharasanthe police station, against the Reserve Forest Conservator of Gundre Reserve Forest Amruthesh, Deputy Range Forest Officer (DRFO) Karthik Yadav, staffers Anand, Bahubali, Ramu, Shekaraiah, Sadashiva, Manju, Umesh, Sanjay, Raja Naik, Sushma, Mahadevi, Ayyappa, Somashekar, Tangamani and Siddique Pasha.  

A complaint was filed in connection with the death of Kariyappa, a 41-year-old resident of Hisahalli Haadi near the Gundre Reserve forest.

According to the police, forest Department officials arrested Kariyappa and two others for allegedly killing a deer in the reserve forest.
The tribal man, 41, was reportedly abused in custody by forest Department officers. When he fell ill, he was sent to K.R. Hospital in Mysuru, where he died due to severa injuries. Local tribals claimed that Kariyappa's death was a murder and staged a protest at the Forest Department.

According to the deceased's family members, forest Department officials came to their house and warned them that if they told anyone about Kariyappa's whereabouts, they would shoot them all and burn down their house. The family members have also claimed that forest Department officers verbally abused and dragged their ladies.

Later, Kariyappa was arrested. The family told police that they received a phone call on Tuesday from DFRO Karthik Yadav asking them to come and pick up Kariyappa. When family members discovered Kariyappa was seriously injured after being abused in custody, they refused to take him home. Later, officials from the Forest Department took him to the hospital.

H.D. Kote tehsildar, Ratnambika had visited a morgue in Mysuru after learning of the death of a tribal man on Thursday. She stated that she was directed by higher authorities to gather information about the incident and to comfort the deceased family members. If the post-mortem report verifies the attack on the tribal man, legal action will be taken.