MADURAI: Rejecting the chargesheet filed by the CBI in the Thoothukudi police firing case, Chief Judicial Magistrate of Madurai A Pasumpon Shunmugiah ordered the agency to conduct further investigation and file a necessary report within six months.
The order was passed following objections raised by former district secretary of Thoothukudi CPM KS Arjunan. The case pertained to an incident in which around 13 people were killed in a police firing during the anti-Sterlite protest in Thoothukudi on May 22, 2018.
On January 6, 2021, while perusing the final report filed by the CBI, the court had noted that though the complainant, Arjunan, had named several people including police officials and tahsildars as accused in his written complaint, the CBI filed final report against only one inspector R Thirumalai. It was also observed that original penal sections mentioned in the FIR were deleted and only minor penal provisions have been invoked. Hence, the court ordered notice to Arjunan, to hear his objections.
Based on it, Arjunan placed his objections before the court. He stated the final report is unjustifiable as all the accused have not been added despite the availability of sufficient materials. Welcoming the development, Arjunan told TNIE the CPM had provided the list of the police personnel and the revenue officials involved in the gunfire. “However, the CBI investigation ruled out they had no criminal intention. It only found fault with the anti-Sterlite agitators, which is an attempt to protect the government officials,” he said.
(With inputs from Thoothukudi)