Toothukudi police firing: Tamil Nadu chief minister Palaniswami terms incident 'unfortunate', orders judicial inquiry

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government has ordered a judicial inquiry into the police firing that killed nine persons in the state’s Toothukudi town on Tuesday. Chief minister Edappadi Palaniswami confirmed nine people were killed when the police fired on anti-Sterlite protesters. Detailing the events leading to the “unfortunate” deaths, he said the protesters took out a procession towards the collectorate defying prohibitory orders in the area. They not only pelted policemen with stones but also set on fire their vehicles as well as those parked in the collectorate. They hurled stones at the collector’s office, he said in a statement. [caption id=“attachment_4479205” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Protests in Tuticorin turned violent on Tuesday. PTI[/caption] “The police had to take action under unavoidable circumstances to protect public life and property as the protesters resorted to repeated violence… police had to control the violence,” Palaniswami, who also holds the Home portfolio, said. “I was grieved to know nine persons were unfortunately killed in this incident,” he said, and expressed his sympathies and condolences for the families of those killed. Palaniswami said he has ordered constitution of a one-man commission under a retired high court judge to go into the incident, in which over 60 people were injured. The chief minister announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the families of each of those killed, Rs 3 lakh to those seriously injured, and Rs 1 lakh for people who suffered minor injuries. He also assured government jobs for one family member of each of those who lost their lives in accordance with their qualifications. The chief minister instructed the Toothukudi district administration to ensure those wounded got good medical treatment. Nearly 5,000 people demanding closure of the Vedanta group-owned plant went on the rampage over pollution concerns, clashing with police, and setting vehicles and public property on fire.