Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar speaks during the 80th Independence Day celebrations at Field Marshal Manekshaw Parade Ground, in Bengaluru, Karnataka, on August 15, 2026. (IANS Photo)
Bengaluru, August 18 (IANS): Karnataka Chief Minister, D.K. Shivakumar, on Tuesday hit out at Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, over his remarks condemning the killing of three alleged poachers in Chamarajanagar reserve forest by Forest Department officials, asserting that no state should interfere in the internal affairs of another.
Reacting to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister's statement, Chief Minister Shivakumar said Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have their own issues and that each state should focus on its administration and law and order.
“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,” CM Shivakumar said.
He said Tamil Nadu leaders should also understand that every state has its own challenges and should refrain from commenting on the law and order situation in Karnataka.
“Be it Panneerselvam or anyone else, they should have basic common sense. I cannot involve myself in Tamil Nadu's law and order problems. They should also know that all states have their own problems,” he said.
CM Shivakumar asserted that the Karnataka government knows how to protect the interests of the state and would discharge its responsibilities accordingly.
“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 said.
The Chief Minister also stressed the need to protect the sanctity of the state's administration and said he did not wish to engage in a political exchange over statements made by the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister.
The remarks come amid a political controversy over the killing of three alleged poachers in an encounter in the forests of Chamarajanagar. Opposition parties in Karnataka have demanded an impartial investigation into the incident, while the state government has defended the actions of forest officials.
It can be noted that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay strongly condemned the August 15, 2026, killing of three Tamil men—Anthony Samy, John Rose Peter and Kumar—by Karnataka forest personnel in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, calling the incident a “massacre” and rejecting the state’s explanation of an exchange of fire during an anti-poaching operation as completely unacceptable.
The Karnataka government on Monday gave a statement in the Legislative Assembly saying that three poachers were killed in Chamarajanagar reserve forest after the forest department personnel opened fire in self-defence when the poachers shot at them.
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