Tuticorin , The Anti-Sterlite People’s Federation of Tuticorin district expressed its gratitude to the Tamil Nadu government on Thursday for announcing additional compensation for the victims of the Sterlite police firing, while reiterating its demand for strict criminal action against the responsible officials.
Following the incident, the Tamil Nadu government ordered the permanent closure of the facility and constituted a one-person commission of inquiry headed by retired Madras High Court judge Justice Aruna Jagadeesan. Furthermore, the federation raised serious concerns regarding the ongoing CBI probe into the incident. On May 22, 2018, 13 people were killed and over 100 injured in police firing during the 100th day of protests against the Vedanta-owned Sterlite Copper plant in Thoothukudi. The commission’s final report, tabled in the Tamil Nadu Assembly in October 2022, held 17 police personnel and four revenue officials accountable for the firing. Krishnamurthy alleged that while the CBI has registered cases against 111 innocent civilians who are continually forced to appear before the Madurai court, no cases have been filed against the erring police officials.
“True justice would only be delivered when the state government initiates immediate and full criminal proceedings against the police and revenue officials named in the Aruna Jagadeesan Commission report for their role in the firing,” he added.
