Thoothukudi (Tuticorin): A few shops opened and bus services were partially restored on Friday in Tamil Nadu’s Thoothukudi—the district that has seen deadly protests against the Sterlite copper plant since 22 May.
Police firing to control the Sterlite protests left 13 people dead in three days.
R. Nelson was among the protesters. He was shot at as well.
“We marched towards the collector’s office, and as we entered, I heard gunshots. Within minutes, amid the gunshots and the commotion, I fell down in extreme pain, only to later realize that the bullets had hit my left leg,” said Nelson, an auto parts supplier, recounting the incidents of 22 May—the first day of the Sterlite protests.
He is recovering at the government hospital in Thoothukudi.
K. Glaston, however, isn’t as unfortunate as Nelson. The 40-year old fisherman, who participated in the protest march along with his family members, died of a bullet wound to his chest.
J. Jansi (47) was shot dead by the police at Threspuram on Tuesday. After the police firing at the district collector’s office, the police entered the fishermen’s hamlet and started beating up people, said J. Johnson, a relative of Jansi. She was killed while she was returning from her daughter Anabarasi’s house, after giving her the fish curry that she had cooked, said Rosamma Fernando, Jansi’s sister.
Meanwhile, they are several like Nelson at the hospital. In fact, two wards are packed with people who have suffered bullet injuries and multiple fractures in the Sterlite protests. The critically injured are being treated at the intensive care units.
As on Friday, death toll in the anti-Sterlite protests stood at 13 and 19 others have severe injuries, according to the Tamil Nadu government. A total of 102 persons were injured.
When asked who ordered the police firing, district collector Sandeep Nanduri—who took charge on Thursday—refused to comment as an inquiry into the matter was on. People of Thoothukudi, however, spoke up, alleging that those who lost their lives were shot above the waist without any warning.
Thoothukudi has been demanding closure of the Sterlite copper plant for over 22 years now. Protests intensified in March this year and peaked over the last three days. And now, after the deaths, an uneasy calm rests heavy over this port town of Tamil Nadu.