THOOTHUKUDI: The State government is trying to safeguard the policemen who opened fire and killed 13 civilians during the anti-Sterlite protest, said MDMK General Secretary Vaiko, at Thoothukudi, on Monday.
Vaiko appeared before a Judicial Magistrate in connection with the case of waving a black flag in 2009, against the then Union minister Pranab Mukherjee who later became the President of India.
Speaking to reporters, Vaiko said that the anti-Sterlite protest has not been a success as the state government continues to remain a cat on the wall.
He declined the order for closure as an outcome of policy decision of the state government, and said that the copper smelter has been closed based on the order of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), which can be stayed legally.
If it is a policy decision, then the state government should have submitted proper evidences like breaching green belt norms and the laws governing the Gulf of Mannar Marine Park, he added.
Vaiko reiterated that Thoothukudi residents were protesting in a non-violent way, but that the government officials failed to handle the spirit of protest. They could have done so through a dialogue or detention, he felt.
Vaiko termed the police firing as “determined pre-meditated cold-blooded murder”. IPC Section 302 should have been invoked against the police responsible for the life loss, he said. “Since no police personnel has been booked for murder so far, it is apparent that the government is trying to safeguard the killer cops,” he added.