THOOTHUKUDI: Activists and the general public in the district have demanded the immediate termination of the government servants indicted in the Aruna Jegadeesan Commission report.
Anti-Sterlite People’s Movement coordinator Fatima Babu said the government must withdraw the cases pending with the CBI, as the Central agency had prepared a charge sheet that contradicted the one-man commission report.
The report says the CBI’s investigation approach was discriminatory, and it is up to the CBI to maintain its image and reputation, she said. “Further, the police personnel and revenue officials involved in the firing should be dismissed from service. Remediation process should also be initiated,” she added.
Welcoming the report, activist Krishnamoorthy attached to the Anti-Sterlite Thoothukudi District People Federation said the panel’s findings have ascertained that the police opened fire at the civilians wantonly. “Merely initiating departmental action against the indicted officials is not enough. They should be charged with murder. Criminal action should also be initiated against the Sterlite management,” he said.
The report makes it clear that former CM Edappadi K Palaniswami was lying when he said he came to know about the firing via news reports, said advocate Hari Ragavan. “Now the report had founded that former chief secretary Girija Vaidhyanathan gave EPS minute-by-minute alerts about the incident.
Instead of staging a token hunger strike at Valluvarkottam, EPS should attend the Assembly session and answer all questions from MLAs. The government should register a fresh FIR and transfer the case to CB-CID,” Ragavan said.