A coalition of civil society organisations in Tamil Nadu have completed its two-day inquest into the targeted killings, arbitrary detentions and torture of people protesting against the Sterlite Copper plant on May 22 in Thoothukudi. It has held the district administration guilty.
Coordinating Committee for People’s Inquest into Thoothukudi Police Firing organised a People’s Inquest (PI) on June 2-3 in Thoothukudi and its suburbs. The team comprises two retired judges of the High Court, two retired IAS officers, three retired senior IPS officers in addition to senior advocates, journalists and social workers.
The records show that 15 protesters were killed and over a 100 severely injured in protests against the Sterlite Copper plant. Over 50,000 people marched towards the District Collectorate to demand the closure of the plant on May 22.
Objectives of the PI
– To ascertain the facts that led to the continued protests in Tuticorin over the years and particularly in the last 100 days.
-To ascertain circumstances which lead to the police firing through gathering statements from eye-witnesses, a family of the deceased, meeting the officials from Tuticorin district administration, Tuticorin district police department, representatives of Anti-Sterlite protest committee and to ascertain who authorised the firing.
-To ascertain details of the police actions in Tuticorin immediately after the police firing.
-To gather information about the actions taken by the Tamil Nadu government, Tuticorin district administration, police department to prevent the firing.
-To analyse documents, pieces of evidence from various government departments, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, petitions, affidavits, pieces of evidence and judgments in the high court and Supreme Court regarding the firing incident.
-To suggest ways for legal intervention in all the courts, national and state human rights institutions and other relevant bodies nationally and the United Nations.
What happened on May 20-21
The Thoothukudi administration called for a ‘peace meeting’, inviting the organisations and protesting villages’ representatives on May 20, prior to the community rally on May 22. According to the PI findings, people said that the administration used a selective approach in inviting people to the meeting. People with whom the PI team interacted in Thoothukudi allege this to be a deliberate attempt of the administration to divide the anti-Sterlite movement.
The PI team further observed that if the district administration was serious about imposing Section 144, it would have prevented even small group formations in the district.
The team also mentioned the absence of the District Collector (DC) in the meeting, which was led by the Thoothukudi Superintendent of Police (SP) along with the Sub- Collector. “It was the DC who should have led the meeting and reached out to the people,” the PI team said.
The PI team observes several gaps in Section 144 imposition. “The administration was aware of the anti-Sterlite protests on May 22 but waited till its eve for imposing Section 144. As gathered from people, after the Section 144 imposition, announcements were not made by the administration in most areas. People got to know about it only through television around 9:30 PM on May 21 and in the newspapers the next day.”
What transpired on May 22
According to the PI team, the total police strength was around 1900 personnel and protestors were over 50,000. It is apparent that the strength of the police was not capable of controlling a large number of protesters.
When protesters reached the District Collectorate, there were vehicles in the compound already on fire. Some policemen wearing white shirts with khaki pants carrying stones posed as protesters and pelted stones and when they were identified by some of the protesters, the policemen ran away.
People confirmed the use of lathi-charge on protesters in certain parts of Thoothukudi, including brutal attacks on women and children. The PI team noted that in spite of serious reported crimes and atrocities against children, the State Commission for Children did not take any immediate action.
People said police are continuing harassment and the threat of being implicated in the open FIRs which have up to 2,000 unnamed accused persons under various sections, has left them terrorised. The PI team says such FIRs are prone to be misused by the police.
Cops deployed on May 23 but people live in fear
Since the morning of May 23, there was a huge deployment of police personnel in Tuticorin district consisting of an Additional Director General of Police, two Inspector General of Police, four Deputy Inspector Generals, 15 Superintendents of Police. This sudden increase lends credence to allegations of continuing reprisals and actions which appear to have no sanction in law.
The PI team witnessed a huge presence of police personnel and said people were living in terror. The team stated that the CCTV cameras in Thoothukudi South Police Station were covered with a cloth when the persons illegally detained were taken to that police station.
Sterilite Plant a health hazard
PI team feels that the health concerns faced by villagers surrounding the Plant has played a significant role in mobilising people and sustaining the campaign. People have cited cases of cancer, lung and breathing-related hazards, which they attribute to Sterlite. Similarly, there is, in fact, a kind of ‘skin patch’, which is now called as “sterlite patch”. Even doctors have started using this term at the time of diagnosis and are asking patients to leave the region.
“Sterlite has to pay Rs 100 crores as fine but they were allowed to continue functioning, was clearly seen as the State prioritising business interest over the public health interest,” says the PI team.