24 December Tuesday

Protests against Vedanta plant turns violent, 5 killed in police firing

PTIUpdated: Tuesday May 22, 2018

Tuticorin/Chennai>  The months-long  protests for the closure of Vedanta's Sterlite Copper unit in  Tuticorin over pollution concerns turned violent today, with  agitators fighting pitched battles with police, prompting it  to open fire in which five people were killed, officials said.       

Hurling stones and setting government vehicles and  public property on fire, the agitators went on the rampage in  the town, about 600 km from Tamil Nadu capital Chennai.                 

Police said nearly 5000 protesters gathered near a  local church and insisted on taking a out a rally to the  district collectorate after they were denied permission to  march to the copper smelter plant.                 

Initial pushing and shoving soon led to violent  clashes, after agitated locals began hurling stones at police  and overturned a vehicle. Security personnel used batons and  burst teargas shells to break up the protest.             

Many were injured in stone-pelting by the agitators,  who also set some vehicles on fire. Windscreens of some  government cars were smashed and bank premises were attacked  by the rampaging mobs.               

As the violence spiralled, police opened fire, killing  a man. Unconfirmed reports, however, put the death toll at  three.  Meanwhile, a state minister said though the government  appreciated the sentiments of the protesters, police firing  had become "unavoidable".                

"Entering the collector's office and (perpetrating)  violence is not acceptable.... (police) firing became an  unavoidable," Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar told reporters in  Chennai.    He said Chief Minister K Palaniswami was "concerned "  over today's incidents and discussed the matter with  officials.    

Reinforcements have been rushed from neighbouring  districts to Tuticorin to assist the local administration in  restoring normalcy.     Some senior officials have also been despatched from  Chennai to the strife-torn town to assess the situation and  take measures to restore calm, sources said.  TV visuals showed buildings and vehicles being set  ablaze, as protests threw normal life out of gear.        

DMK Working President MK Stalin condmened the police  action, saying the state government should have sorted out the  issue earlier through talks with the protesters.                 

"Since the government did not take any steps in this  regard, the people launched today's massive rally....police  attacked people indiscriminately and opened fire on them which  is condemmnable," Stalin, also the Leader of the Opposition in  the state Assembly, told reporters in Chennai.     

MDMK founder Vaiko, who led many anti-Sterlite  protests, denounced police action, calling it "codemnable",  and flaying the AIADMK government for it.    Opposition PMK, DMDK and MNM, besides Dravidar  Kazhagam also assailed the government over the issue.             

Following a Madras High Court directive, the district  authorities had issued prohibitory orders under section 144 of  CrPC, barring assembly of more than four people in and around  the Sterlite plant.     

Meanwhile, a peaceful demonstration was also held near  the old bus stand in Tuticorin, demanding the closure of the  Sterlite unit and against its proposed expansion.        Several shops in Tuticorin, besides Srivaikundam and  Oddapidaram remained shut in support of the protest, police  said.                 

Locals have alleged that the plant was polluting  ground water in their area.               

Nearly 3000 police personnel have been deployed under  four Additional Superintendents of Police and 13 Dy SPs to  bring the situation under control, official sources said.  Anti-riot personnel on Vajra and Varun vehicles were moving in  the town.           

Jayakumar said that the AIADMK government under the  late J Jayalalithaa had moved the Supreme Court against a  green tribunal order allowing the plant to function, and the  petition was pending there.     

The minister said the government had not given the  licence for expansion of the plant.   

"There is no support by the AMMA government to any  project that is not desired by people," he said.                 

Sterlite Copper is a unit of Vedanta Limited which  operates a 400,000-tonne per annum capacity plant in  Tuticorin.   

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