Deaths in Sterlite protests brutal murder, akin to Jallianwala massacre: Opposition

DMK’s MK Stalin accused the police of atrocities and asked whether there was any other way to tackle the protesters calling for the shutdown of the Sterlite Copper plant in Thoothukudi.

The Tamil Nadu government came in for sharp criticism on Wednesday for opening fire on protesters demanding closure of the Sterlite plant in Tuticorin. Nine people were killed in the police action on Tuesday.

Injured people being taken for treatment at a government hospital following an agitation demanding the closure of Vedanta's Sterlite Copper unit in Tuticorin on Tuesday. (PTI)

While DMK called the deaths ‘brutal murder’, MDMK likened the incident to the British era Jallianwala Bagh massacre and Congress called it ‘state-sponsored terrorism’

DMK leader MK Stalin tweeted a photo of what appears to be a cop in plain clothes pointing his gun at the protesters with the title, “Mass Murder of Innocent People”

“Where does the final accountability lie for the brutal murder of at least 11 Tamils? Will @CMOTamilNadu take action against DGP for failing to maintain law and order? Will Chief Secretary explain her role in this entire episode? Will there be justice for #SterliteProtest?” Stalin wrote.

Questioning the state government role, Stalin asked adequate police presence to maintain law and order was not provided? “Is it accurate to say that there was a total failure of state intelligence which led to these unfortunate deaths? he asked.

“The gunning down by the police of 9 people in the #SterliteProtest in Tamil Nadu, is a brutal example of state sponsored terrorism. These citizens were murdered for protesting against injustice. My thoughts & prayers are with the families of these martyrs and the injured,” he tweeted.

Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami ordered an inquiry into the shootings but defended the police.

“The police had to take action under unavoidable circumstances to protect public life and property as the protesters resorted to repeated violence... police had to control the violence,” he said in a statement.

Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan, who met those injured during the protest on Tuesday, also attacked the AIADMK government saying,”We must know who ordered this firing. It is not me but the victims who are demanding this.”

The Makkal Needhi Maiam chief said merely announcing compensation was not a solution. “This industry must be shut and this is what people demand,” Haasan added.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) also held a protest in Coimbatore against the police firing on protesters.

Opposition parties including PMK, DMDK, Congress, and the MNM slammed the violence and police action, while actor Rajinikanth, who is slated to launch his political party, held the government responsible for the deaths.

On Tuesday, people protested for hours calling for the closure of the plant owned by British-based mining giant Vedanta Resources and run by its subsidiary Sterlite Copper. Some 20 police were also injured in the clashes.

Residents have been protesting for months against the plant as environmentalists and locals allege the plant is contaminating water resources, a charge denied by the company.

The protests have intensified after Vedanta sought to expand the plant. It was shut briefly after an alleged gas leak in March 2013 that left hundreds with breathing difficulties, nausea and throat infections.

The factory was also shut in 2001 after it was found to have disposed mercury waste without following proper protocol.

(With agency inputs)