CHENNAI: Forest Minister RV Ranjithkumar informed the Assembly on Tuesday that the department would complete the necessary consultations and inquiry into the killings of three Tamil-origin persons in Karnataka before deciding on handing over Rs 10 lakh solatium to the families.

The announcement was made during a Special Calling Attention Motion on the incident, which was raised by Opposition members.

Several members, including AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, A Ganeshkumar (PMK), Tharahai Cuthbert (Congress), and T Ramachandran (CPI), demanded a CBI inquiry into the deaths. DMK member Paul Manoj Pandian and CPM member T Latha were among those who participated in the discussion.

Replying to the debate, Energy and Law Minister R Nirmalkumar said Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay had urged the Karnataka government to conduct a high-level inquiry into the incident and provide all necessary assistance to the affected families.

"The TVK-led government has been consistently monitoring the issue. Wherever Tamil people are affected, the first voice to be raised will be that of our Chief Minister," Nirmalkumar said.

Following his reply, Forest Minister Ranjithkumar said the Forest Department would provide Rs 10 lakh to each of the three families after completing the necessary consultations and inquiry.