Chennai: All opposition parties, including AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, sought to bring attention to three Tamil-origin men allegedly shot dead by the Karnataka Forest Department during an alleged anti-poaching operation in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary (Chamarajanagar district) on August 15.
Edappadi K Palaniswami moved a motion in the Assembly, joined by members from across the opposition benches. He appealed for a CBI inquiry into the incident.
The incident sparked a political outcry, with leaders demanding a thorough, high-level probe into the alleged murder. The incident pertains to an August 15 incident in which Tamil-origin men, Anthony Sami, John Rose Peter, and Kumar were shot dead.
PMK leader Ganesh Kumar sought compensation of ₹1 crore for the families of the deceased. Along with Palaniswami, Tamil Nadu Congress MLA Tharahai Tuchbert and CPI MLA Thali Ramachandran also demanded a CBI inquiry into the incident.
Speaking on the attention motion, DMK MLA Manoj Pandian described the killings as a human rights violation. "Three Tamils were allegedly shot dead by the Karnataka Forest Department while they had gone into a forest area in Chamarajanagar district, Karnataka, in search of their cattle. The shooting of innocent farmers is a human rights violation and could even be described as a fake encounter. If justice is to be ensured for the Tamil victims, adequate compensation must be provided to their families. A judicial inquiry is also necessary into these killings," he said.
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Responding to the motion on behalf of the state government, Tamil Nadu Law Minister CTR Nirmal Kumar said the Karnataka government had provided ₹5 lakh in compensation to the affected families.
"Our Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has expressed his strong condemnation. The explanation given by the Karnataka government is not acceptable. Karnataka government must conduct a proper investigation into the incident," Nirmal Kumar told the House, adding that the Chief Minister would issue a detailed explanation on the matter.
On August 16, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay condemned the alleged killing of the three Tamil-origin men.
"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 Chief Minister posted on X.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Vijay Joseph shared a post on social media, "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… pic.twitter.com/9pYe4Sh9cr
— United News of India (@uniindianews) August 16, 2026
Calling the explanation given by the Karnataka forest department "unnacceptable", he urged the neighbouring state to conduct a thorough enquiry into the matter.
The post added, "The explanation provided by the Karnataka Forest Department regarding this incident is unacceptable. An honest investigation must be conducted regarding this brutal incident. A high-level investigation committee should be constituted, and appropriate punishment should be meted out to those responsible. The Karnataka government must provide all necessary assistance to the families of the victims. I strongly urge the Karnataka government to take appropriate measures to ensure that no such incident occurs again."
Karnataka's response
Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar dismissed demands from Tamil Nadu politicians for a CBI inquiry asserting that Karnataka would protect the 'sanctity' of its territory, Shivakumar said Tamil Nadu should manage its own law and order issues.
Addressing reporters here, he said, “This is a federal structure. No state should interfere with the administration of any other state. People should have this basic understanding. I cannot get involved in any of the law and order problems of Tamil Nadu. Every state has its own problems.”
According to officials in Karnataka, the forest personnel conducting an anti-poaching operation came under fire from the group, following which the personnel allegedly returned fire in self-defence, resulting in three deaths.
Responding to a question about Vijay's criticism, Shivakumar said he did not want to comment on every statement.
“They should also know that we know how to protect our state. Let them do their job; we will do ours... I don't want to interfere in their administration. We have to protect whatever sanctity there is of our state,” he said.
“I don't want to comment on everything. This is a general issue. They should do their job; we should do our job,” he added.
