Chennai, August 19: Udayanidhi Stalin, the Leader of Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly and a prominent DMK leader, has raised serious concerns regarding the lack of official condemnation from the Tamil Nadu government following the shooting deaths of three Tamils by forest department officials in Karnataka’s Chamarajanagar district. He expressed shock that the state government has yet to issue a formal statement regarding this tragic incident.
In a post on the social media platform X, Udayanidhi criticized the relevant minister for merely echoing the Karnataka government’s stance during a response in the assembly. He pointed out that no letter has been sent to the Chief Minister of Karnataka seeking clarification on the incident from the Tamil Nadu government or the Chief Minister.
Udayanidhi emphasized that the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister should demand a clear response from Karnataka’s government and call for an independent and credible judicial inquiry into the matter. He insisted that the investigation should not solely rely on the Karnataka police.
He also called for stringent action against the perpetrators in accordance with the guidelines of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and Supreme Court rulings related to human rights violations. Additionally, Udayanidhi urged for increased compensation for the families of the deceased, stating that the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister should advocate for additional compensation for the affected families from his Karnataka counterpart.
A meeting of southern state Chief Ministers is scheduled for Wednesday in Chennai. Udayanidhi has requested that during this meeting, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister personally meet with the Karnataka Chief Minister to seek appropriate clarification regarding the incident.
Questioning the Tamil Nadu government’s response, Udayanidhi stated that formal or generic statements are insufficient in such situations. He urged the government to take concrete steps to ensure justice for the families of the deceased.
This incident relates to a shooting that occurred in the reserved forest area connected to the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary in the Hanoor region of Karnataka’s Chamarajanagar district. On August 15, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay had condemned the actions of Karnataka’s forest personnel, labeling the incident as a ‘massacre’ and questioning the Karnataka government’s claim that the forest officials fired in self-defense in response to alleged gunfire from poachers.
The Karnataka government, while presenting its position in the assembly, stated that the three alleged poachers were shot when forest department staff acted in self-defense. According to the government, the forest personnel were fired upon by the alleged poachers.
Leave a Comment