NEW DELHI: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Tuesday said it was sending a fact-finding team to Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu to probe the circumstances in which 13 protesters demanding the closure of the Sterlite copper smelter plant were killed in police firing on May 22.
The NHRC move come after a petition by advocate A.Rajarajan before the Delhi High Court on May 25, seeking the intervention of the commission in probing the death of civilians in police shooting.
The NHRC's Director General, Investigation, was asked to depute a team headed by an officer, not below the rank of Senior Superintendent of Police, assisted by three more officers of the rank of Deputy SP and Inspectors from its investigation division.
The team will record statements of witnesses including family members of the victims and submit a report to the Commission.
The Commission has observed that its instant direction in the matter is independent of the directions already given by it to the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police, Tamil Nadu after taking suo motu cognizance of the incident on the basis of media reports.
They have been asked to submit detailed reports in the matter along with status of the treatment being provided to the persons who were injured in police firing within two weeks.