Compensation Welcomed, But Anti-Sterlite Federation Reiterates Demand for Action Against Officials
On May 22, 2018, 13 people were killed and over 100 injured in police firing during the 100th day of protests against the Vedanta-owned Sterlite Copper plant in Thoothukudi
Tuticorin: The Anti-Sterlite People's Federation of Tuticorin district expressed its gratitude to the Tamil Nadu government on Thursday for announcing additional compensation for the victims of the Sterlite police firing, while reiterating its demand for strict criminal action against the responsible officials.
Acting on the recommendations of the Aruna Jagadeesan Commission report, the state government recently announced an additional payout of Rs 25 lakh for the families of the 13 deceased, and Rs 5 lakh for the 40 injured individuals.
Welcoming the decision, the federation coordinator M Krishnamurthy thanked Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay and Law Minister R Nirmal Kumar, who had previously assured them that the commission's report would be implemented.
On May 22, 2018, 13 people were killed and over 100 injured in police firing during the 100th day of protests against the Vedanta-owned Sterlite Copper plant in Thoothukudi.
The demonstrators were marching toward the District Collectorate demanding the closure of the smelter over environmental pollution concerns.
Following the incident, the Tamil Nadu government ordered the permanent closure of the facility and constituted a one-person commission of inquiry headed by retired Madras High Court judge Justice Aruna Jagadeesan.
The commission's final report, tabled in the Tamil Nadu Assembly in October 2022, held 17 police personnel and four revenue officials accountable for the firing.
Krishnamurthy told PTI Videos that the compensation should be viewed as a fundamental right of the affected families rather than a mere concession.
"True justice would only be delivered when the state government initiates immediate and full criminal proceedings against the police and revenue officials named in the Aruna Jagadeesan Commission report for their role in the firing," he added.
The federation urged the government to construct a grand memorial in Tuticorin city to honour the martyrs who lost their lives during the protests. They also demanded the complete removal of the Sterlite plant from the region.
Furthermore, the federation raised serious concerns regarding the ongoing CBI probe into the incident.
Krishnamurthy alleged that while the CBI has registered cases against 111 innocent civilians who are continually forced to appear before the Madurai court, no cases have been filed against the erring police officials.
The federation appealed to the Tamil Nadu government to intervene promptly to protect these civilians and secure their release from the pending cases.
