THOOTHUKUDI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court (HC) on Friday asked the Tamil Nadu government to explain by June 6 the circumstances that led to police firing into a crowd in Thoothukudi in the state last month.
The court issued the directive after it received a petition demanding the registration of a murder case against the Director General of Police, T K Rajendran, as well as the formation of a special investigation team (SIT).
On May 22, police opened fire on protesters agitating against the expansion of the Sterlite Copper plant in Thoothukudi, killing 13 people and injuring 102.
The people of Thoothukudi were protesting against the construction of the copper plant by the Sterlite Copper Minning Industries, claiming that it was polluting groundwater, and was hazardous for the environment.
Earlier today, the family of victim Kaliyappan finally accepted his mortal remains. He was amongst the three victims' families who had yesterday refused to accept the bodies demanding legal closure of the Sterilite plant and a memorial for the dead.
The Madras High Court had earlier ordered re-postmortem of seven bodies after petioners alleged tampering of evidence.
Besides Kaliyappan, the other six victims were Shanmugam, Selva Sekar, Kanthaya, Snolin, Shanmugam and Thamilarasan.