Police repression continuing in Tuticorin: Report

  • | Sunday | 15th July, 2018

CHENNAI: Calling police firing that claimed the lives of 13 people in Tuticorin on May 22 and 23 an “unjustified and unwanted” murders, the final report of the 23 members’ people inquest stated that it was a fallout of the total breakdown of civilian authority.“Police repression is continuing even today. However, Sterlite had attached the copy along with its affidavit that was submitted before the National Green Tribunal. They said advocates had managed to get a copy of the order after approaching the court. "When we met the collector and asked the order of GO, he replied that he did not have," he said and wondered how the company had got the order.The report would be submitted to the families of the victims on July 22. Everything pinpointed that the whole episode had been a pre-planned and premeditated murders,” said Tiphagne.Citing the absence of then collector and his subordinates in the scene on May 22, the report said that administration ceded all civilian authority and power to the police, contributing to the violence and deaths that occurred.The members of the team criticised judiciary for agreeing with the administration’s decision to impose Section 144 (unlawful assembly) of the CrPC.

CHENNAI: Calling police firing that claimed the lives of 13 people in Tuticorin on May 22 and 23 an “unjustified and unwanted” murders, the final report of the 23 members’ people inquest stated that it was a fallout of the total breakdown of civilian authority.“Police repression is continuing even today. The Tuticorin police continue the terror regime and people are not allowed to participate in programmes on the police firing,” said retired high court judge D Hariparanthaman after releasing the 260-page report, “The Day Tuticorin Burned,” at a function in Loyola College here on Sunday.The police were threatening the people of Tuticorin with ‘open’ first information reports (FIRs) filed in connection with the 100th day of the protest demanding the permanent closure of Sterlite , said the retired Judge, who was part of the team.Appealing for a return of normalcy and an immediate end to the intimidation and arbitrary arrests of random people under the ‘open’ FIRs registered against numerous unnamed people, he said, “All deaths must be treated as murders at the FIR stage in line with prevalent law, and investigation must proceed on these lines until evidence points otherwise.”Several people had been detained illegally till date, said Henri Tiphagne of the team, adding that that 15 people were killed in the police firing and related incidents.While 13 people were killed in police firing on May 22 and 23, two others, including a woman, died in a protest-related incident in the following days, he said.“We have interviewed severely injured people, family members of the deceased and eyewitnesses. Everything pinpointed that the whole episode had been a pre-planned and premeditated murders,” said Tiphagne.Citing the absence of then collector and his subordinates in the scene on May 22, the report said that administration ceded all civilian authority and power to the police, contributing to the violence and deaths that occurred.The members of the team criticised judiciary for agreeing with the administration’s decision to impose Section 144 (unlawful assembly) of the CrPC. They said advocates had managed to get a copy of the order after approaching the court. However, Sterlite had attached the copy along with its affidavit that was submitted before the National Green Tribunal."When we met the collector and asked the order of GO, he replied that he did not have," he said and wondered how the company had got the order.The report would be submitted to the families of the victims on July 22.

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