Chennai, Aug 20:
At a time when the brutal shooting and killing of three Tamils by Karnataka Forest Department personnel in Hanur forest area has caused widespread outrage, Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s remarks that neither the Tamil Nadu Government nor political parties in TN should make any comments on the matter, as it concerns Karnataka’s law-and-order situation, was strongly condemned by the PMK, which also wanted TN to demand a CBI probe into the ‘encounter’ killings.
In a statement here on Wednesday, PMK President and Rajya Sabha MP Dr Anbumani Ramadoss said it was condemnable to claim that Tamil Nadu has no right to condemn the killings of Tamils or demand a CBI inquiry.
Quoting Shivakumar’s presser in Bengaluru that “No state can interfere in the administration of another state. Since the shooting of the Tamils is a law-and-order issue in Karnataka, the Tamil Nadu Government cannot interfere. Let Tamil Nadu take care of its administration; we will take care of ours”, Anbumani said this cannot be accepted.
Describing the killing of three Tamils in the forest area of Chamarajanagar district as merely a law-and-order issue in Karnataka is an attempt to divert attention from the matter. Three Tamils who had gone in search of missing cattle were brutally shot dead by Karnataka Forest Department personnel, he said.
Noting that new evidence relating to the incident is emerging everyday, Anbumani, also a former Union Minister, said Puttaranga Shetty, the Minister in-charge of Chamarajanagar district, and Manjunath, the Hanur MLA belonging to the Janata Dal (Secular), have refused to accept the Forest Department’s version of events. Moreover, they have provided Rs 10 lakh each from their personal funds to the families of the victims.
Brand-new footwear has been recovered from the spot where the three Tamils were shot dead. One of the deceased was reportedly wearing the footwear. Some police officials themselves have stated that if the victims had been involved in deer hunting, there was little possibility that new footwear would have remained unstained or undamaged. It is the duty of the Karnataka Government to clear these doubts, the PMK Chief.
However, instead of ensuring justice for the affected families, the Karnataka Government is attempting to conceal the truth. At such a time, it is the responsibility of the Tamil Nadu Government and political parties in TN to secure justice for the families of the murdered Tamils. Mr Shivakumar should remember that India is not a dictatorial country and that he is not a dictator, and therefore cannot tell Tamil Nadu that it has no right to speak on this issue, he said.
When people belonging to a particular state or ethnic community are attacked or killed in another state or country, the people and government of their home state or community have every right to condemn the incident and demand justice for the victims, Anbumani said, adding, it would be wrong to continue believing that the Karnataka Government will take fair and just action in the case of the shooting and killing of three Tamils.
The Tamil Nadu Government must urge both the Karnataka Government and the Central Government to order a CBI investigation into the incident.