THOOTHUKUDI: Even as steps are being taken to restore normalcy here, the Revenue officials are allegedly trying to browbeat family members of some police shoot victims into issuing statements that the death occurred due to lathi-charge and not due to the police firing.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Armugam, uncle of victim B. Ranjith Kumar, 23, said the tasildar Paramasivam, along with other officials came to his house on Friday. They have demanded the family members to issue a statement to the effect that Ranjith Kumar succumbed to injuries sustained during police lath-charge.
Arumugam said, "we have vehemently opposed this and refused to issue the statement". "Ranjith Kumar was shot dead on May 22. He was shot on his head. The bullet pierced through his head. How can we deny and give a report stating that he died due to police lathi-charge. Instead we have demanded the official to issue a declaration confirming that he had died due to the police shoot-out.
Arumugam demanded the government issue a G.O. closing down Sterlite and registering murder cases against the South Zone IG, Sailesh Kumar Yadav, Tirunelveli range DIG Kapilkumar Saratkar, former Thoothukudi SP, P Mahendran and former collector of Thoothukudi district, N Venkatesh.
