MADURAI: Calling the charge sheet recently filed by CBI in the Thoothukudi police firing case 'a sham', Anti-Sterlite People's Movement and the victims’ family members on Thursday demanded a court-monitored reinvestigation in the case.
Addressing media persons in Madurai, advocate S Vanchinathan said, as many as 101 persons have been named in the charge sheet so far, but all are protestors and the general public. "Not a single police officer has been charge-sheeted in the case. The CBI is acting under the influence of the BJP government which supports Vedanta Group's founder Anil Agarwal," he alleged.
The High Court had ordered a CBI investigation to ensure a fair probe as the accused persons were police officials, but the very objective of the court has been ignored by the CBI, Vanchinathan said. "The police and revenue officials who were responsible for the incident, which was nothing short of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, have been named as witnesses by the CBI," he added.
Around 13 people were killed in the police firing during the anti-Sterlite protest in Thoothukudi on May 22, 2018. The family members of the victims, who also participated in the press conference, broke down in tears and appealed to Chief Minister MK Stalin to take steps to provide justice to the victims.
Further, Vanchinathan also demanded the government to release the report submitted by Justice Aruna Jagadeesan's commission on May 18 in the public domain.
Meanwhile, a protest would be held in Thoothukudi on May 22, highlighting these demands, in view of the fourth death anniversary of the victims, the advocate added.