CHENNAI: The State government may initiate action against police officials named in the report filed by Justice Aruna Jagadeesan Commission, which was appointed to probe into the 2018 Thoothukudi firing during anti-Sterlite protests in which 13 people died and more than 100 were injured, official sources said.
The commission, which submitted its report to Chief Minister M K Stalin on May 18, 2022, has recommended criminal action against 17 police officials. Shailesh Kumar Yadav was South Zone IG, Kapilkumar Saratkar was Tirunelveli DIG, and P Mahendran was Thoothukudi SP when the firing took place. K Venkatesh was the district collector.
According to excerpts from the report accessed by TNIE, the commission has slammed officials for not properly promulgating prohibitory order under Section 144. “The infirmities were so grave as to render it nugatory,” the report said.
“There is a spectacle of the authorities promulgating the order under Section 144 of criminal procedure code in respect of two police limits and at the same time permitting demonstration against the Sterlite factory in SAV School grounds which is an integral part of Thoothukudi town,” the report said. “This peculiar and odd approach resulted in confusion in the minds of general public” the report said.
Intelligence input not given the significance it deserved: Commission
“There was confusion whether an order under Section 144 has been promulgated at all and this state of affairs has been compounded by the total lack of knowledge of the public of the promulgation.” “Due to the inordinate delay in passing it despite the orders of the Madras High Court as early as on May 18, 2018, directing District Collector Venkatesh to invoke Section 144,” the report said.
The report ruled out any intelligence failure. “The intelligence input was not attached the significance it deserved by the district administration. Unfortunately, the well meaning message of the intelligence chief did not yield any result in as much as no follow up action was taken immediately to defuse the situation,” the report said.
On May 22, 2018, thousands marched towards the Thoothukudi collectorate campus on the 100th day of the anti-Sterlite agitation demanding closure of the plant. Protesters coming from various directions assembled near the FCI godown, located just a km from the collectorate. Despite being stopped by police at major junctions such as Trespuram, Mathakovil, VVD signal, Madathur and Third Mile, the protesters overpowered police and reached the spot.
Initially, four people died in firing. The event turned deadly after mobs started damaging public and private properties including vehicles, lampposts, name boards, signages and also assaulted police at some places.
The police then began shooting at the protesters based on orders issued by three deputy tasildars, which ended with the killing of 12 people on May 22 and another one on May 23. Two, including a protester Baratharaj on bail, died in custody and another protester F Justin grievously injured during the firing died three months later.