Tamil Nadu Assembly unites in condemning Karnataka forest firing, demands CBI probe

Chennai, Aug 18 (IANS) Members across party lines in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Tuesday condemned the shooting of three Tamil men by Karnataka Forest Department personnel and demanded an impartial investigation.

AIADMK MLA and former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami said Anthonysamy, John Rose Peter and Kumar were shot dead on August 15 after they reportedly entered the protected forest area in Karnataka’s Chamarajanagar district while searching for their cattle.

A fourth man was seriously injured and was receiving treatment at the Mysuru Government Hospital, he said, citing the victims’ families.

Palaniswami disputed the Forest Department’s claim that the group had entered the area to hunt deer and alleged that the circumstances indicated a larger conspiracy.

As the incident occurred close to the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border, he urged the State government to press for a CBI investigation. He also said the Rs 5 lakh compensation announced by Karnataka was inadequate and sought financial assistance from the Tamil Nadu government for the affected families.

DMK member Manoj Pandian described the firing as a human rights violation and said it could amount to a “fake encounter.” He questioned whether Supreme Court guidelines governing such incidents had been followed and whether the National Human Rights Commission had been informed.

A murder case should have been registered and a transparent judicial enquiry ordered, he said.

PMK MLA Ganesh Kumar rejected Karnataka Forest Minister Ramalinga Reddy’s statement that the forest department personnel had acted in self-defence and that the men were poachers.

Maintaining that the victims had entered the forest only to find their cattle, he demanded a CBI probe and compensation of Rs 1 crore to each bereaved family.

He urged the Tamil Nadu government to pursue the matter through the Assembly and legal channels.

BJP MLA Bhojarajan expressed condolences to the families and wished the injured man a speedy recovery. He called for parties to set aside political differences, jointly protest the incident and seek action against officials if wrongdoing was established.

He also said Karnataka’s compensation was insufficient. Congress Legislature Party leader Tharagai said the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee supported a CBI investigation. She demanded that Karnataka bear the full medical expenses of the injured man, identified as Mahimai Das, increase compensation and provide a government job to one member of each victim’s family.

The interventions reflected a broad consensus that the Tamil Nadu government should formally take up the issue with Karnataka, secure adequate relief for the families and ensure that the circumstances surrounding the firing are investigated independently.

—IANS

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