Chennai: The tenure of Justice (Retired) Aruna Jagadeesan led Commission of Inquiry, constituted to go into the causes and circumstances that led to the police firing at Thoothukudi on May 22, 2018, on a group of people protesting against the expansion of the Sterlite Copper plant, has been extended by another six months, up to February 22, 2022.
According to a government notification, the extension was being given on the basis of a request from Justice (Retired) Aruna Jagadeesan seeking more time for completing the inquiry. However, no further extensions would be given to the Commission, which was originally set up on May 5, 2018.
The term of the Commission was to have ended on February 22, 2022 after the last extension was granted on February 17, 2021, for six months. Now the commission has been requested to present its report in Tamil and English before February 22, 2022.
The police firing on May 22, 2018, had led to the death of 12 persons, besides leaving over 100 persons, including police personnel, injured. A spate of police cases were also filed against many of the protestors, who had actually sat on a fast for 100 days in Thoothukudi city, before taking out a rally to the Collector's Office when the police opened fire.
Soon after the DMK assumed power, the police cases against the protestors were withdrawn and compensation was given to the victims of police firing.
