THOOTHUKUDI: A month after 13 people were killed in police firing on anti-Sterlite protesters in Thoothukudi on May 22-23, the sight of men in khaki still evokes fear and resentment among residents here.
Said Karuppusamy of Kumarareddiyarpuram, the village that spearheaded the protests against the copper smelter plan, “For the first 99 days of the protests, our villagers would bring tea to policemen posted here on duty. Around a 100 of us who sat in protest would cook together here in the open, and we never failed to invite the policemen everyday for lunch.
“We would never have thought that they would fire at us without a second thought and even now, continue to terrorise our men by picking them up in the middle of night in the name of inquiry.”
Parvathi of the same village recollects her neighbour Palraj, a 55-year-old auto driver, being picked up by police well after midnight.
“Both his legs were injured in the protests, but they still dragged him to the station,” she said.
According to the villagers, Palraj was last seen 13 days ago. Men who fled, mainly from areas like Kumarareddiyarpuram, Madathur and Anna Nagar, are yet to return.
A 55-year-old man smartly paces up and down the corridors on the fifth floor of the Thoothukudi Medical College Hospital where those injured in the protests had been admitted.
Asked when he is getting discharged, he said, “I’m perfectly fine now. The doctor said I could leave. But my neighbours who came to visit me said the police came to our neighbourhood in search of me. So I’ve put off going home,” he said.
One of the first resolutions passed among the country craft boats’ general panchayat, Therespuram after the firing was to exercise utmost caution before participating in another protest.
“Here, fishermen have been strongly involved in these causes but end up being made villains by police. We have decided not to participate in any protests unless all permissions have been granted,” said member MRR Bose.
For Thangam, the images of 17-year-old J Snowlin, who was killed in the firing, keeps her awake at night, even after a month. (Full names of persons withheld at their request)