Karnataka CM Shivakumar tells Tamil Nadu leaders “not to interfere” in state’s administration following Chamarajanagar shooting incident

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 18 (ANI): Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday pushed back against statements from Tamil Nadu leaders over the killing of three Tamil-origin men in an alleged forest department shooting in Chamarajanagar district, asserting that no state should interfere in another's administration.
Anthony Sami, John Rose Peter, and Kumar, Tamils in Chamarajanagar district, died in a forest fire incident by Karnataka Forest Department officials on August 15 in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary area during an alleged anti-poaching operation in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary.
The incident has triggered strong reactions from Tamil Nadu's political leadership, including the Chief Minister Vijay, and calls in the Tamil Nadu Assembly for a CBI or judicial inquiry into the killings.
Shivakumar told reporters, "No state should interfere with another state's administration. States have their own problems. They should also know that we know how to protect our state. Let them do their job; we'll do our job. I don't want to interfere with their administration. We have to protect the sanctity of our state. They should do their job; we should do our job."
Shivakumar had earlier said a magistrate-led investigation has been ordered into the Hanur shootout in which three suspected poachers were killed in firing by forest personnel, asserting that the complete facts of the incident will be known only after the probe.
The Chief Minister said he received information about the incident at around 5 am and that several witnesses had been questioned, while evidence, including items and guns, had been seized.
According to the forest personnel's account, the officials on duty at Maria Mangala opened fire after the suspected poachers allegedly pointed a gun at them. The bodies were initially taken to the morgue of Kollegal Government Hospital, where police have deployed a security cordon.
Following the incident, police and forest department officials held a meeting with residents of Maria Mangala and Jagannath Dhodi villages. Chamarajanagar Superintendent of Police Muthuraj, along with senior police and forest officials, met villagers as the investigation continued.
Chamarajanagar District In-charge Minister Puttaranga Shetty said officials had claimed that four people had gone into the forest for hunting and that the firing took place after the group allegedly pointed a gun at forest personnel.
"What they (police and forest officials) are saying is that four people had gone hunting for meat. They say, 'We attacked them at 5:20 in the morning. Then they pointed a gun at us, so we shot them.' That's what they say. But the public there is not saying that. People are giving different versions of the incident," Shetty said.
Meanwhile, all opposition parties, including AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, sought to bring attention to three Tamil-origin men allegedly shot dead by the Karnataka Forest Department during an alleged anti-poaching operation in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary (Chamarajanagar district) on August 15.
Edappadi K Palaniswami moved a motion in the Assembly, joined by members from across the opposition benches. He appealed for a CBI inquiry into the incident.
Responding to the motion on behalf of the state government, Tamil Nadu Law Minister CTR Nirmal Kumar said the Karnataka government had provided Rs 5 lakh in compensation to the affected families. "Our Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has expressed his strong condemnation. The explanation given by the Karnataka government is not acceptable. Karnataka government must conduct a proper investigation into the incident," Nirmal Kumar told the House, adding that the Chief Minister would issue a detailed explanation on the matter.
On August 16, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay condemned the alleged killing of the three.
"It is heartbreaking that Anthony Sami, John Rose Peter, and Kumar, who were Tamils residing in villages in the Hanur taluk of Chamarajanagar district in Karnataka, were shot dead by Karnataka Forest Department officials in the early hours of August 15, 2026, in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary area. I strongly condemn this massacre," the Chief Minister posted on X.Calling the explanation given by the Karnataka forest department "unnacceptable", he urged the neighbouring state to conduct a thorough enquiry into the matter. (ANI)