Karnataka and Tamil Nadu Clash Over Forest Killings

Personnel from the Forest Department of Karnataka shot and killed three men of Tamil origin—Anthony Sami, John Rose Peter, and Kumar—in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary on August 15, 2026. A fourth man survived with injuries. The forest department claims the men were poachers who opened fire on officials, prompting a retaliatory exchange. However, the survivor and victims' families assert the men were farmers.

C Joseph Vijay, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, condemned the killings as a "massacre" and a "brutal killing," dismissing the official explanation as "unacceptable." He demanded a high-level inquiry and compensation for the families. Other Tamil Nadu leaders, including DMK president M K Stalin and Law Minister CTR Nirmal Kumar, also condemned the act, while opposition leader Edappadi K Palaniswami moved a motion in the Tamil Nadu Assembly seeking a CBI probe.

In response, Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar ordered a magistrate-led probe to determine if officials acted in self-defense and provided 5 lakh rupees in compensation to the families. Shivakumar criticized the Tamil Nadu government's reaction, asserting that under the federal structure, no state should interfere in the internal administration or law and order affairs of another.

Legal action has progressed with the Hanur Police registering a murder case under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against seven forest department personnel following a complaint by the wife of one of the deceased.