Police open fire at anti-Sterlite protesters, 10 killed
65 Others Injured As 100th Day Of Protest Turns Violent In Tuticorin
M K Ananth & Padmini Sivarajah TNN
Tuticorin: 23.05.2018
The 100th day of protests against Sterlite Copper spiralled horribly out of control when the police opened fire on rampaging mobs here on Tuesday killing 10 protesters, including two women. Around 65 people were injured, many of them seriously, in the violence.
More than 5,000 demonstrators gathered at Our Lady of Snows Church near the Old Harbour in this southern coastal town in the morning and started marching towards the collectorate. Though Section 144 of the CrPC that prohibited an assembly of more than four people was in force in select areas covering the collectorate and the Sterlite plant, police were grossly outnumbered by the marchers who attacked them and burnt vehicles.
“We didn’t expect this kind of a mob,” said a police officer. “We had mobilised some 1,500 personnel. We brought in 1,000 more after the protest turned violent.”
Human rights activist Henry Tiphagne, who was in Tuticorin, told TOI that some of those who opened fire at the protesters were not in police uniform. “It was a total violation of human rights,” he said.
Those killed were identified as Tamilarasan, 35, of Kurukkusalai; Shanmugam, 25, Teachers Colony, Tuticorin; Glaston, 40, of Kovilpitchai, Tuticorin; Kandhaiya, 55, of Ceylon Colony, Tuticorin; Maniraj, 34, of Dhamodar Nagar, Tuticorin; Venista, 16; Antony Selvaraj, 35 both from Tuticorin; Jeyaraman, 62, of Usilampatti; Vinitha, 29, of Therespuram, Tuticorin; and Karthik, 20, a second year BA student.
The protesters have been demanding the closure of Sterlite’s copper smelting unit, which they claimed polluted the environment and caused ailments to people in the neighbourhood. Since the protest began at Kumarattiyapuram on the outskirts of the city on February 12, demonstrations to pressure the government to close down the plant had been going on.
Preparations for picketing the collectorate on May 22 were in full swing when the district administration and the police granted permission only for staging a protest at the SAV School Ground. This was turned down by the protesters, following which the collector clamped regulatory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC.
Police strength upped to 2,500 later in the day
Around 1,500 police personnel from Tuticorin, Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari and Dindigul districts had been deployed for maintenance of law and order. When the protesters marched towards the collectorate, police tried to stop them at several points – at the South Police Station, VVD Signal, Third Mile Bridge, FCI Godown and the Collectorate - but in vain.
Vastly outnumbered by the protesters, many police personnel fled. As the crowd reached the collectorate they began smashing and torching nearly 50 two-wheelers and a dozen four-wheelers. They attacked the main building of the collectorate and police personnel posted there, leaving a few policemen injured. At this point, police retaliated by firing at the mob. They chased down fleeing protesters, beat them up and secured hundreds of them, including those attached to radical outfits. Police officers refused to confirm who ordered the firing.
Angered by the firing, the public blocked the vehicle of the superintendent of police of Tuticorin district P Mahendran at the bridge atop Buckle Canal.
Police again fired at the crowd killing Vinitha. As the situation went out of control, police strength was increased to around 2,500 later in the day.
The ruling AIADMK, which came in for much flak from Opposition parties for the police firing, maintained that the firing was warranted as the protesters, despite Section 144 CrPC being in force, went ahead with the march and indulged in violence.
DGP T K Rajendran said in a press release that protesters indulged in uncontrollable violence. Police used tear gas, lathis and opened fire as a last resort. Due to firing, there were a ‘few deaths’, he said.
Vastly outnumbered by the protesters, police personnel fled. As the crowd reached the collectorate they began smashing and torching nearly 50 two-wheelers
Stalin skips B’luru, heads to Tuticorin
Chennai: DMK working president M K Stalin has cancelled his visit to Bengaluru to participate in the swearing in of JD (S) leader H D Kumaraswamy as chief minister of Karnataka. Stalin told reporters he would be visiting Tuticorin instead to meet the kin of those killed in police firing. “It is a shame that such a gruesome act has happened in Tuticorin. I will visit the area on Wednesday and at present my party leaders are visiting the area,” he said. TNN
65 Others Injured As 100th Day Of Protest Turns Violent In Tuticorin
M K Ananth & Padmini Sivarajah TNN
Tuticorin: 23.05.2018
The 100th day of protests against Sterlite Copper spiralled horribly out of control when the police opened fire on rampaging mobs here on Tuesday killing 10 protesters, including two women. Around 65 people were injured, many of them seriously, in the violence.
More than 5,000 demonstrators gathered at Our Lady of Snows Church near the Old Harbour in this southern coastal town in the morning and started marching towards the collectorate. Though Section 144 of the CrPC that prohibited an assembly of more than four people was in force in select areas covering the collectorate and the Sterlite plant, police were grossly outnumbered by the marchers who attacked them and burnt vehicles.
“We didn’t expect this kind of a mob,” said a police officer. “We had mobilised some 1,500 personnel. We brought in 1,000 more after the protest turned violent.”
Human rights activist Henry Tiphagne, who was in Tuticorin, told TOI that some of those who opened fire at the protesters were not in police uniform. “It was a total violation of human rights,” he said.
Those killed were identified as Tamilarasan, 35, of Kurukkusalai; Shanmugam, 25, Teachers Colony, Tuticorin; Glaston, 40, of Kovilpitchai, Tuticorin; Kandhaiya, 55, of Ceylon Colony, Tuticorin; Maniraj, 34, of Dhamodar Nagar, Tuticorin; Venista, 16; Antony Selvaraj, 35 both from Tuticorin; Jeyaraman, 62, of Usilampatti; Vinitha, 29, of Therespuram, Tuticorin; and Karthik, 20, a second year BA student.
The protesters have been demanding the closure of Sterlite’s copper smelting unit, which they claimed polluted the environment and caused ailments to people in the neighbourhood. Since the protest began at Kumarattiyapuram on the outskirts of the city on February 12, demonstrations to pressure the government to close down the plant had been going on.
Preparations for picketing the collectorate on May 22 were in full swing when the district administration and the police granted permission only for staging a protest at the SAV School Ground. This was turned down by the protesters, following which the collector clamped regulatory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC.
Police strength upped to 2,500 later in the day Around 1,500 police personnel from Tuticorin, Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari and Dindigul districts had been deployed for maintenance of law and order. When the protesters marched towards the collectorate, police tried to stop them at several points – at the South Police Station, VVD Signal, Third Mile Bridge, FCI Godown and the Collectorate - but in vain.
Vastly outnumbered by the protesters, many police personnel fled. As the crowd reached the collectorate they began smashing and torching nearly 50 two-wheelers and a dozen four-wheelers. They attacked the main building of the collectorate and police personnel posted there, leaving a few policemen injured. At this point, police retaliated by firing at the mob. They chased down fleeing protesters, beat them up and secured hundreds of them, including those attached to radical outfits. Police officers refused to confirm who ordered the firing.
Angered by the firing, the public blocked the vehicle of the superintendent of police of Tuticorin district P Mahendran at the bridge atop Buckle Canal.
Police again fired at the crowd killing Vinitha. As the situation went out of control, police strength was increased to around 2,500 later in the day.
The ruling AIADMK, which came in for much flak from Opposition parties for the police firing, maintained that the firing was warranted as the protesters, despite Section 144 CrPC being in force, went ahead with the march and indulged in violence.
DGP T K Rajendran said in a press release that protesters indulged in uncontrollable violence. Police used tear gas, lathis and opened fire as a last resort. Due to firing, there were a ‘few deaths’, he said.
Vastly outnumbered by the protesters, police personnel fled. As the crowd reached the collectorate they began smashing and torching nearly 50 two-wheelers
Stalin skips B’luru, heads to Tuticorin
Chennai: DMK working president M K Stalin has cancelled his visit to Bengaluru to participate in the swearing in of JD (S) leader H D Kumaraswamy as chief minister of Karnataka. Stalin told reporters he would be visiting Tuticorin instead to meet the kin of those killed in police firing. “It is a shame that such a gruesome act has happened in Tuticorin. I will visit the area on Wednesday and at present my party leaders are visiting the area,” he said. TNN
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