Tamil Nadu CM Vijay condemns killing of 3 Tamils by Karnataka forest officials, calls for investigation

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”.Tamil Nadu CM C Joseph Vijay in the legislative assembly in Chennai. (ANI Video Grab/File)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.“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.Also Read | ‘People’s welfare is absolute highest priority’: Tamil Nadu CM Vijay at Independence Day eventVijay 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.