Chennai, Aug 17:
The CPI, CPM and PMK on Sunday condemned the alleged shooting of three Tamil-origin farmers by Karnataka forest department personnel in Chamarajanagar district and demanded a CBI probe, with the PMK seeking ₹1 crore compensation for each victim’s family.
CPM state secretary P Shanmugam identified the victims as Anthony Raj, John and Kumar, residents of Thomaiyarpalayam village in Hanur taluk. He said the three had entered the forest on Saturday to search for missing cattle when they were allegedly shot dead by forest personnel.
Shanmugam accused the forest department of attempting to cover up the killings by claiming that the victims had gone hunting. He demanded the dismissal and arrest of the personnel responsible and urged the Tamil Nadu government to strongly condemn the incident before the Karnataka government.
CPI state secretary M Veerapandian also condemned the killings and demanded that a murder case be registered against the forest personnel involved and that a CBI probe be ordered. He also sought adequate compensation for the victims’ families.
PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss demanded a CBI probe and ₹1 crore compensation each for the three families. He said the victims were descendants of Tamil families who had migrated to the Chamarajanagar region about a century ago after losing their land and homes during land acquisition for the Mettur dam.
Anbumani alleged that there was no evidence that the three had hunted deer, confronted forest personnel or possessed firearms. He rejected the forest department’s claim that they were killed in an encounter while hunting.
He also referred to protests by local residents following the killings and said the Chamarajanagar MLA and district in-charge minister Puttaranga Shetty and Hanur MLA Manjunath had questioned the need for an encounter in the early hours.
Rejecting Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar’s decision to order a magistrate-level inquiry, Anbumani insisted on a CBI investigation. He urged Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay to condemn the killings and ensure that the Karnataka government paid ₹1 crore each to the victims’ families.