THOOTHUKUDI: The State government has asked District Collector Dr K Senthil Raj to frame charges against three tahsildars who allegedly ordered the police to fire upon protesters on May 22, 2018 in Thoothukudi, in order to initiate departmental actions. According to the Justice Aruna Jagadeesan committee report, the trio moved from their designated jurisdiction, sans orders from higher ups.
Deputy Tahsildar Sekar was supposed to be in-charge of Fatima Nagar, Lions town and Threspuram, the Divisional Excise Officer Chandran was appointed at SAV school grounds near old bus stand and the Zonal Deputy Tasildar Kannan was incharge of Pollution control board office and Madathur, as per the Sub Collector's order, it said.
Though Social Security Scheme Tahsildar Rajkumar Thangaseelan (now deceased) was in-charge of the collectorate area, Sekar filed an affidavit that he had given the shooting orders at the collectorate campus. Thangaseelans's phone call showed he was present in the area until the firing began, and was giving updates to the collector's personal clerks. Sekar, who initially said a higher official had ordered him to move from his designated area, retracted the statement in his second affidavit with the commission.
The commission opined that the authorities had strategically chosen an obliging special executive magistrate, as Rajkumar Thangaseelan did not agree to create an impression that the firing was done in compliance with the provisions of the relevant police standing orders.
Similarly, Kannan had moved to Trespuram from Madathur without any order from higher authorities.
Likewise, Chandran, who was designated at SAV school grounds, was moved to Anna Nagar so as to give an impression that the shooting was preceded by issuance of an order by the special executive magistrate. Aruna Jegadeesan sought explanation on why the tahsildars were moved to other places from their respective jurisdictions without any orders from the district collector, sub-collector or the headquarters, while maintaining that they were positioned in a jurisdiction to suit the police version.
Following recommendations of the commission to initiate departmental action and other actions known to law as against the three special executive magistrates, the district administration charged the trio as per 17B of Tamil Nadu government servant's conduct rules. An official of the rank deputy collector will be nominated to inquire about each of them and further action will be taken. The tahsildars have not yet been suspended, said a top official source.