None held accountable for Thoothukudi firing which claimed 13 lives

On June 16, district police had registered as many as 243 cases against thousands of people for rioting and have detained 248 people.

In this 22 May 2018 photo, a police personnel shoots at the protesters protesting against the copper smelting plant in Thoothukudi. (EPS)

THOOTHUKUDI: None from the Thoothukudi administration or the district police have been held accountable for the police firing in which 13 people were killed on May 22 and 23. Both the Collector and Superintendent of Police were transferred shortly after the violence that broke out on May 22, when the 100th day of peaceful protests against the Sterlite Copper Smelter plant turned violent.

However, as the Justice Aruna Jagadeesan commission and the National Human Rights Commission have yet to complete their probe, no action has been taken against anyone for the violence and the police firing that protesters allege started without any warning shots.

Meanwhile, as on June 16, district police had registered as many as 243 cases against thousands of people for rioting and have detained 248 people.

Sources said that 57 police personnel had opened fire at the crowd using different guns. The guns predominantly used were 9mm pistols, .303 rifle and Self Loaded Rifles (SLR) from the Armoury depot of AR camp in Thoothukudi.

Over 131 bullets were fired totally, according to the armoury ledger. The district police are yet to submit the weapons used for firing before the CB-CID court, sources further said.

A police officer involved in the security operations on May 22, said that police personnel had been directionless and no guidance was given to control the crowd thronging different junctions, despite presence of DIG-rank police officers and five SPs.

Some young officers, having no experience on handling such situations, relied on muscle power to control the crowd, the officer admitted. They started lathicharge prematurely, which angered the protesters who started overpowering the police, he added.

Another police officer said that they could not allow the protesters to damage the collectorate campus, which is the ‘symbol of democracy’.

Meanwhile, South Zone IG KP Shanmuga Rajeswaran said that the town was now completely normal. As public were apprehensive of police, the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and inspectors were deputed to foster better relations. Simultaneously, the Superintendent of police was meeting with representatives of trade unions, lorry associations, community leaders, religious leaders. The police strength would be gradually reduced, he added. Rajeswaran had resolved the caste clash that erupted in Thoothukudi in 1996.

Despite police claims of normalcy and efforts to better relations with public, residents allege that they have been undertaking midnight raids at houses and detaining people illegally. Fearing such arrests, many men -- young and old -- have left their homes and gone into hiding. Sources claimed that police had broken down the doors to nab Thamilaga Valurimai Katchi district president Kidar Bismi, who was reportedly helping shift the injured and dead to hospitals in the aftermath of the police firing.

Such midnight police raids have reportedly taken place at Madathur, Murugesan Nagar, P&T colony, Third Mile, Pandarampatti, Meelavittan, Silverpuram, Anna Nagar, Bryant Nagar, Thamodranagar and surrounding areas in Thoothukudi. Women from these localities have made representations to the district collector Sandeep Nanduri asking that these raids end.

Residents from these areas say that most of those who participated in the anti-Sterlite agitation were labourers who work on construction sites or on contract for various companies in Thoothukudi. With the men in hiding, the families are now in debt, some of the women said. Even as the schools reopen, it has become challenging for women to manage the expenses alone.