CHENNAI: The opposition DMK on Tuesday (August 25) raised the post-mortem report of the three Tamils killed by the Karnataka forest department, alleging torture.

The DMK sought to know the steps the Tamil Nadu government has taken to ensure justice for the affected families. Raising the issue in the Assembly, Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin claimed that the post-mortem report of the deceased — Anthony Samy, John Rose Peter, and Kumar — indicated that they were "tortured and shot at very close range".

"The three had severe injuries, including broken bones. This was a 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 sought to know if Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay raised the issue at the Southern Zonal Council meeting or whether Tamil Nadu's condemnation was personally conveyed to his Karnataka counterpart DK Shivakumar.

Also, he called for measures to provide the necessary legal assistance to the three affected families and demanded a high-level enquiry into the incident.

Speaker JCD Prabhakar said that a State minister had already responded when the issue was raised by the Opposition parties in the Assembly on August 18. Nevertheless, a detailed reply would be provided by the Law Minister soon.

This was the second time the killing of three Tamils by the Karnataka Forest Department echoed in the Assembly in a week.