CHENNAI: The opposition DMK on Tuesday (August 25) raised the killing of three persons, claimed to be Tamils, by the Karnataka forest department, and sought to know the steps taken by the Tamil Nadu government in ensuring justice to the affected families.
Raising the issue in the state 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 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 Karnataka government," Udhayanidhi asked.
He sought to know if Tamil Nadu 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 D K Shivakumar.
Also, he called for measures to provide necessary legal assistance to the three affected families, demanding a high-level enquiry into the incident.
Speaker J C D Prabhakar responded by saying that a state minister had already provided a reply 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 second time the "killing" of three "Tamils" by Karnataka forest department echoed in the Tamil Nadu Assembly in a week.
Anthony Samy, John Rose Peter, and Kumar, who lived in the villages in Hanur Taluk of Chamarajanagar district in Karnataka and alleged to be poachers, were shot dead by that state's forest department in the early hours of August 15, in the Cauvery Wildlife sanctuary area.
Tamil Nadu political parties have been claiming that those killed are Tamils.