The Opposition DMK on Tuesday raised the deaths of three men, claimed to be Tamils, in an alleged firing by the Karnataka Forest Department and sought details from the Tamil Nadu government on steps taken to secure justice for their families.
Raising the issue in the state Assembly, Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin claimed that the post-mortem reports of the deceased, Anthony Samy, John Rose Peter and Kumar, indicated that they had been “tortured and shot at very close range”.
“The three had severe injuries, including broken bones. This was brutal killing. I would like to know what action this government has taken to condemn this. At least, has the government sought an explanation from the Karnataka government?” Udhayanidhi asked.
He also sought to know whether Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay had raised the issue at the Southern Zonal Council meeting or personally conveyed the state's condemnation to his Karnataka counterpart, D K Shivakumar.
Udhayanidhi called for measures to provide legal assistance to the families of the three men and demanded a high-level inquiry into the incident.
Speaker J C D Prabhakar said a state minister had already responded when Opposition parties raised the issue in the Assembly on August 18. He added that the Law Minister would provide a detailed reply soon.
This was the second time in a week that the alleged killing of the three men by the Karnataka Forest Department had been raised in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.
Anthony Samy, John Rose Peter and Kumar, who lived in villages in Hanur taluk of Karnataka's Chamarajanagar district and were alleged to be poachers, were shot dead by the state's Forest Department in the early hours of August 15 in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary area.
Tamil Nadu political parties have maintained that the three men were Tamils.
(With inputs from PTI)