Indian Catholics demand judicial inquiry into killing of three men
Church leaders question official account of a forest shooting in Karnataka and say only an independent inquiry can establish how three Christian men died
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — Catholic leaders in southern India are demanding an independent judicial investigation into the fatal shooting of three Christian men by government forest personnel, challenging whether lethal force was necessary and joining growing calls for accountability over the deaths.
The Catholic Church intensified its demand after Bishop Francis Serrao of Mysore visited the victims’ families and another person injured in the shooting, according to UCA News. Church leaders want an inquiry headed by a sitting judge rather than relying solely on an investigation ordered by the state administration.
Antony Swamy, 50, John Rose Peter, 42, and Anthony Kumar, 33, were killed in the early hours of Aug. 15 inside the Chikkallur Reserved Forest in Karnataka’s Chamarajanagar district.
Forest Department officials have portrayed the incident as an anti-poaching operation, alleging that the men had illegally entered the protected forest to hunt wildlife. Authorities said a firearm and two bags containing suspected wild animal meat were recovered from the scene.
But the families have disputed the circumstances surrounding the deaths, while reported forensic findings indicating that the men were shot from very close range have intensified questions over the official version of events.
The wife of one of the victims has filed a murder complaint against Forest Department personnel, according to local reports. The deaths have also prompted protests in Hanur, where demonstrators have demanded justice and compensation for the families.
Karnataka authorities have ordered a magisterial inquiry, and the state Human Rights Commission has separately visited the site as part of its investigation. Catholic leaders, however, say the seriousness of the allegations warrants an independent judicial inquiry capable of establishing precisely what happened and whether the shootings were lawful.
Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore said the Church did not condone trespassing, poaching or hunting in protected forests but argued that an allegation of illegal activity did not automatically justify killing a suspect.
He questioned whether the forest personnel faced an immediate threat serious enough to require lethal force and whether shooting the men was unavoidable.
Under international human rights standards governing law enforcement, intentional lethal force should be used only when strictly unavoidable to protect life. The controversy therefore turns not simply on whether the men were illegally inside the forest but on whether circumstances justified shooting them.
Church leaders have also focused attention on the families left behind. During his Aug. 19 visit, Serrao promised pastoral assistance, including support for the education and future welfare of the victims’ children.
Father Faustine Lucas Lobo, spokesperson for the Karnataka Catholic Bishops’ Council, said Catholics were looking to the state government and legal system to establish responsibility.
“We have lost three precious lives,” Lobo said. “Only a free and fair inquiry will bring justice to the poor Catholic families.”
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