Govt cannot act unilaterally, says Jayalalithaa

Hitting back at the opposition parties including CPI(M) which have been demanding action against police officials in connection with the Paramakudi firing on Sunday, which left seven persons dead, Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on Wednesday said the government cannot "act unilaterally" when it had announced a judicial probe.

Hitting back at the opposition parties including CPI(M) which have been demanding action against police officials in connection with the Paramakudi firing on Sunday, which left seven persons dead, Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on Wednesday said the government cannot "act unilaterally" when it had announced a judicial probe.

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Speaking in the assembly, where the Left parties and Puthiya Tamizhagam staged a walkout following speaker D Jayakumar's refusal to raise the issue,the chief minister said she had initially ordered for a DRO probe but later conceded to judicial probe at the insistence of a section of the opposition.

While the government had announced forming an inquiry commission under a retired High Court judge, it had to wait for its recommendations.

"How can we act unilaterally. We have to wait for the recommendations of the commission and if it recommends action against anybody, the government will act," she said.

When a commission had been announced, only it can recommend action, she said.

The CPI (M) had announced staging a state-wide protest on September 17 demanding suspension of police officials who opened fire on the agitating crowd.