MYSURU: Condemning
police brutality in Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu, where at least 11 protesters, agitating against a
sterlite plant, were killed in police firing, members of Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India (CPI), and Socialist Unity Centre of India staged a
protest here on Thursday.
Dubbing the police action against the protesters ‘deplorable’, the activists said, “Vedanta Multinational Corporation has been harming the environment in Tamil Nadu for over 25 years.”
Demanding the company’s closure, the protesters said, “The company was fined by the Supreme Court for releasing poisonous gases. People in the region are suffering various ailments owing to this. It is time the Tamil Nadu government shut the company.”
The protesters also lashed out at the Tamil Nadu government for ordering police to fire on the agitators. “This is a grave injustice,” they said.
Mandya farmers express solidarity
Mandya farmers too expressed their strong opposition to the police action in Thoothukudi, staging a rasta rook protest on the Mysuru-Bengaluru highway on Thursday.
Farmers assembled at the Kaveri statue and raised slogans, condemning police brutality in the neighbouring state. Criticising Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi Palaniswamy for allowing police to fire at hapless farmers, fighting against a private company, the protesters asked if the lives of farmers mattered to the government.
“The Tamil Nadu government appears to be protecting the interests of a greedy industry, and not those of the farmers and common people. Is it wrong to ask for the closure of a copper plant that is polluting the environment?” asked Haniyambadi Nagaraju, a farmer leader.
The protesting farmers urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to initiate legal action against those responsible for firing at the protesters. “If need arises, the Tamil Nadu government must be suspended, and President’s rule imposed,” they said.
The protest disrupted traffic on the Mysuru-Bengaluru highway.
