Chennai: Fisheries minister D. Jayakumar who described the police firing incident during anti-Sterlite protest on Tuesday morning as "distressing," blamed the then DMK government for not taking any action to close down the Sterlite plant.
Indicating that it was because of the DMK that the situation had precipitated, he claimed that the former chief minister J. Jayalalithaa wanted to close down Sterlite plant but it was because of the National Green Tribunal judgment the Sterlite was allowed to function. The state went on an appeal and the matter is pending before the Supreme Court. "The state is clear (on the issue) and does not want Sterlite to continue its operation," Mr Jayakumar told reporters here on Tuesday.
Justifying the police action of firing at the protesters, the minister asserted that the police was forced to open fire because the situation went out of control and the protesters turned "extremely violent." "Violence inside the collectorate is unacceptable and firing was unavoidable," he said and added that violence can never be a solution for any problem.
While assuring on behalf of the government to take steps to prevent the plant's operation, he said the government appreciated the sentiments of the protesters on the issue. Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami was "concerned" over today's developments and had discussed the matter with the officials. Reinforcements were rushed from neighbouring districts to assist the local administration in restoring normalcy.
