CHENNAI: Suspected involvement of anti-social elements among the protestors in
Tuticorin forced the state police to open fire, the
Tamil Nadu government said in its report sent to the Union home ministry on Wednesday.
The state also turned down the Centre’s offer to send paramilitary forces to the southern port town.
Violent protests against Sterlite Copper’s smelter plant had killed 13 and injured more than 60 on Tuesday and Wednesday.
A senior official said the state sent a report though the Centre had not sought one. Union home minister Rajnath Singh, however, had tweeted on Thursday that he did seek a report. “I am deeply pained at the loss of precious lives during the agitation at Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu. The home ministry has taken cognisance of the situation and sought a report on the incident and the prevailing situation from the state government,” he tweeted.
The report detailed the situation in Tuticorin and steps taken to restore normalcy. It was sent a day after police opened fire and Union home secretary
Rajiv Gauba spoke to Tamil Nadu chief secretary
Girija Vaidyanathan to ascertain the situation in Tuticorin.
The report detailed how the protestors set fire to vehicles and made unlawful entry into the collector’s office in violation of orders under Section 144 of the CrPC. “The ministry did not seek specific reasons for the firing, but offered to send
CRPF or another central paramilitary force to tackle the situation. The state government turned down the Centre’s offer,” the official said.
“After we sent the report, some officials from the Union home minister asked for more details. We sent additional details on Friday,” the official said.
The government also mentioned in the report about sending two senior IAS officers to assess and monitor the situation besides transferring the district collector and superintendent of police.
It is during the discussions between the Union home secretary and Tamil Nadu chief secretary, the government decided to block internet access in Tuticorin, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari to check the spread of rumours, said the officer.
The law and order situation in Tuticorin is fast returning to normal even as miscreants torched a state government bus after intercepting it in a bridge on Friday evening. Three passengers suffered injuries in the incidents and were taken to the hospital.
