Karnataka forest killing of three Tamils revives memories of gunning down of 20 Tamil Nadu woodcutters in Andhra Pradesh
The killing of three Tamil men by Karnataka forest officials has sparked public concern and drawn comparisons to a 2015 incident where 20 woodcutters were killed in Andhra Pradesh. The event has reignited debates over the use of force by forest departments against suspected poachers.
Why it matters
It highlights the tension between forest conservation efforts and the rights of marginalized communities, as well as the history of state-sanctioned violence in forest management.
The killing of three Tamil-speaking men by Karnataka foresters on Saturday (August 15, 2026) following an alleged exchange of fire and suspected poaching activity has revived memories of a chilling forest massacre that shook the country 11 years ago .
On April 7, 2015, the newly-formed Red Sanders Anti-Smuggling Taskforce in Andhra Pradesh gunned down as many as 20 woodcutters hailing from Tamil Nadu in the Seshachalam forest area at the foot of the Tirumala Hills. The Hindu report described it as “the bloodiest incident in the history of the decades-old menace of red sanders smuggling.”
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