CHENNAI : As many as 17 special teams, each headed by a Deputy Superintendent of Police and assisted by an inspector attached to the CCB, have been formed to trace Mugilan, an anti-Sterlite activist, who went ‘missing’ from the midnight of February 15, a division bench of the Madras High Court was told on Monday. A status report was filed before the bench of Justices M Sathyanarayanan and M Nirmal Kumar, when a habeas corpus petition from Madurai-based advocate and another activist Henri Tiphagne came up on Monday.
So far 251 witnesses, including friends and associates of Mugilan, were being examined, said the report filed by the Additional DSP. Additional Public Prosecutor C Ayyapparaj told the judges that the voice calls and other messages received and sent from his mobile phone were being analysed. The outcome will be stated in another report to be filed shortly. The investigation goes in the right direction, he added and prayed for more time. The bench then posted the matter for further hearing on April 8.
According to petitioner, Mugilan, as a coordinator of the TN Environment Protection Movement, had conducted research studies on the issue relating to Sterlite and addressed a press meet at the Press Club here on February 15 last. He also released a report and a video titled ‘Sterlite: Hidden Truth’, which dealt with the violence that was unleashed prior to the police firing in Thoothukudi on May 22, 2018.
He had also alleged that higher police officers were involved in the violent incidents and named certain officials - Shailesh Kumar Yadav, the then Inspector General of Police (South Range), Madurai and Kapil Kumar Saratkar, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Tirunelveli, in this connection.
This was based on the footage from the CCTV cameras that were functional for a short before they were intentionally damaged. His mobile phone was active till 1.45 am on February 16. Thereafter, the gadget allegedly lost connectivity when the train reached Olukkur in Villupuram district, petitioner said.