Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay on Sunday strongly condemned the killing of three Tamils who were allegedly suspected to be poachers by Karnataka forest department officials, calling the department’s explanation of the incident “unacceptable”.
In a post on X, the official handle of Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) shared his statement, in which he said the three men were shot dead in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary area in Karnataka.
Deep Dive
What were the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the three Tamils shot by Karnataka forest officials?
Why did Tamil Nadu CM Vijay condemn the killing of the three Tamils?
What demands were made by the families and villagers of the deceased following the incident?
“It is heartbreaking that Anthony Sami, John Rose Peter, and Kumar, who were Tamils residing in villages in the Hanur taluk of Chamarajanagar district in Karnataka, were shot dead by Karnataka Forest Department officials in the early hours of August 15, 2026, in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary area. I strongly condemn this massacre,” the post said.
{{/usCountry}}“It is heartbreaking that Anthony Sami, John Rose Peter, and Kumar, who were Tamils residing in villages in the Hanur taluk of Chamarajanagar district in Karnataka, were shot dead by Karnataka Forest Department officials in the early hours of August 15, 2026, in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary area. I strongly condemn this massacre,” the post said.
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Vijay said the circumstances surrounding the deaths required a thorough and impartial investigation, and criticised the explanation given by the Karnataka forest department. “...I strongly urge the Karnataka government to take appropriate measures to ensure that no such incident occurs again,” Vijay added.
Meanwhile, families of the three men, who were killed in an alleged exchange of fire with forest department personnel on August 15, protested in Hanur, demanding compensation, government jobs for the dependants.