THOOTHUKUDI: A National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) panel on Tuesday recorded the statements of the police personnel who allegedly opened fire at the anti-Sterlite protesters, as a part of the inquiry held at the Thoothukudi corporation’s west zonal office at Millerpuram here. The panel also recorded the statements of those injured in the clash between the police and the protestors on May 22.
The sources said that over 27 policemen, including 25 of those who sustained injuries during the violence, appeared before the inquiry panel. The two policemen, Raja and Sub-Inspector Renis, who are allegedly in a fix for shooting the crowd, were also quizzed by the rights panel that recorded their statements. The injured policemen under treatment at hospitals in various districts were brought here for questioning.
The NHRC panel members Rajvir Singh, Nitin Kumar, Arun Tyagi and Lal Bahar chaired the commission. One of the two policemen who allegedly opened fire at protesters told Express he shot in the air only to warn the protesters, but it was portrayed adversely on social media. He said that he cooperated with the panel and told them the facts.