Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) President C. Joseph Vijay has strongly condemned the killing of three Tamil people in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary area. It is alleged that these people lost their lives in the firing by Karnataka Forest Department officials.
While sharing a post on the social media platform 'X', Thalapathy Vijay has demanded an impartial and high-level investigation into this entire matter and strictest action should be taken against the culprits. Vijay said it was extremely saddening that Anthony Sami, John Rose Peter and Kumar, residents of villages in Hanur taluk of Chamarajanagar district, were killed by Karnataka Forest Department employees in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary area on the morning of August 15. He condemned this incident in the strongest terms, calling it brutal.
Vijay clearly said that the explanation being given by the Karnataka Forest Department regarding this incident is not acceptable under any circumstances. He insisted on a completely impartial investigation into these deaths. Vijay said that there should be an honest investigation into this brutal incident, for this a high-level investigation committee should be constituted immediately and whoever is found guilty should be given the harshest punishment.
Urge to provide help to the affected families
The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu has urged the Karnataka Government to provide all possible economic and social assistance to the affected families. Along with this, Vijay said in a warning tone that the Karnataka government should ensure that such incidents do not recur in future. He appealed to the Karnataka administration to take such steps to ensure the safety of citizens living in the border areas.
What is the whole incident?
Strong protests were held in Chamarajanagar and Mysore areas on Sunday for justice for three people killed in an alleged encounter and firing with forest department employees on August 15. The atmosphere at Hanur in Chamarajanagar district remained tense as family members of the three killed persons and local villagers staged a protest in the Datti forest area, expressing their anger against the forest department officials.
The furious protesters completely blocked the main road leading to the famous Male Mahadeshwara Betta and demanded immediate strict action against the forest staff involved in the firing. Major political parties in Tamil Nadu, including the ruling DMK and PMK, also claimed that the three killed were Tamils. Along with this, he also raised serious questions on the claims of the Forest Department, in which the three deceased were being described as 'hunters'.
Serious questions raised on forest workers of Karnataka
The main demand of the protesters who took to the streets was that the forest personnel who opened fire on the morning of 15 August should be immediately brought to the spot and interrogated openly. TV footage and videos surfaced on social media showed a scuffle between heavy police force and protesting villagers.
Villagers questioned the legal right of forest personnel to open fire directly at unarmed people. Local people said that even if they had gone to the forest for some reason, no officer has the right to kill anyone like this.