Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay has strongly condemned the “killing” of three “Tamils” in a firing incident involving Karnataka Forest Department personnel, saying the explanation offered by the Department was “unacceptable.”

Demanding a high-level probe into the incident, Vijay said, it was “heartbreaking” that Anthony Samy, John Rose Peter and Kumar, residents of villages in Hanur taluk of Chamarajanagar district, were shot dead by Forest Department personnel in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary in the early hours of Aug. 15.

“I strongly condemn this brutal killing. The explanation given by the Karnataka Forest Department regarding the incident is not acceptable. A fair investigation should be conducted by a high-level committee into this heinous incident,” the Chief Minister said in a social media post late yesterday.

He demanded that those responsible be duly punished and urged the Karnataka Government to provide appropriate compensation to the families of the victims. “I urge the Karnataka Government to take appropriate action to prevent such incidents from happening again,” Vijay added.