Kamal Haasan dubs Tamil Nadu response to Sathankulam tragedy superficial

Condemning the police atrocity that led to the custodial deaths of two innocent traders of Sathankulam in Thoothukudi district, actor-politician and leader of the Makkal Needhi Maiyam (MNM), Kamal Haasan said the Tamil Nadu government's response to the brutal violation of human rights and basic tenets of justice has been "superficial".

"The shocking death of the two traders in Sathankulam, father and son, Jayaraj and J Bennix has instilled the fear that such a thing could happen to any of us," Kamal Haasan said in a statement here on Sunday.

Demanding that "whoever responsible" for the deaths of the two traders should be brought to Justice, Kamal Haasan said looking at the initial actions taken by the AIADMK government like suspension of two police sub-inspectors, it "appears they have not gone down to the true nature of the crisis."

Accusing the ruling AIADMK of trying to cover up its inefficiencies in managing the Covid-19 novel coronavirus crisis, Kamal Haasan alleged that the State was using the Police to browbeat the people into submission.

Asking how the two traders, first taken to the police station, ostensibly for interrogation for their alleged violation of lockdown rules in not closing their shops on time, could have gone to the "extent of a quick judicial demand without the collision of several others", Kamal Haasan said the entire chain of events should be probed and analysed to unravel the truth.

Instead, payment of solatium to the victims family and nominal action against some police personnel though necessary, was not sufficient, he said. Recalling how the State Government had remained "indifferent" after the police firing against anti-Sterlite activists in Thoothukudi in which 13 people were killed, Kamal Haasan said such laxity should not be repeated again.  

The MNM leader also accused the State government with "playing with the lives of the people" and said that in a democracy, if a regime "remained calm" in the face of such police highhandedness and brutal violations of fundamental rights of the people, disregarding their basic feelings and the rule of law, then such a government should not continue in office.