Karnataka CM tells Tamil Nadu not to interfere in Chamarajanagar forest deaths

Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Tuesday criticised his Tamil Nadu counterpart, C. Joseph Vijay, for commenting on the deaths of three alleged poachers during an anti-poaching operation in Chamarajanagar, saying one state should not interfere in the internal affairs of another.

Responding to Vijay’s condemnation of the incident, Shivakumar said Karnataka and Tamil Nadu had their own administrative and law-and-order concerns and should independently address them within the country’s federal structure.

“This is a federal structure. No state should interfere in the internal matters of another state. I have never interfered in the affairs of Tamil Nadu, and I don’t want to comment on their administration,” Shivakumar said.

He argued that political leaders in Tamil Nadu should recognise that every state faced its own challenges and refrain from commenting on Karnataka’s handling of law and order.

“We know how to protect our state. Let them do their job and we will do our job. They should not interfere in administration and law-and-order matters,” he added.

Shivakumar said the Karnataka government was capable of protecting the state’s interests and carrying out its responsibilities. He also indicated that he did not wish to turn the dispute into a prolonged political exchange.

The controversy concerns the deaths of three Tamil men — Anthony Samy, John Rose Peter and Kumar — during an encounter with Karnataka Forest Department personnel in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary in Chamarajanagar on 15 August.

Vijay had described the incident as a “massacre” and rejected Karnataka’s account that the three men were killed during an exchange of fire in an anti-poaching operation. He called the state government’s explanation unacceptable.

The Karnataka government told the Legislative Assembly on Monday that forest personnel had fired in self-defence after the alleged poachers shot at them.

Opposition parties in Karnataka have called for an impartial investigation into the deaths, while the state government has defended the actions of the forest officials.

With IANS inputs