Madras high court asks Thoothukudi officials to perform autopsy of six bodies of anti-Sterlite protesters

The Madras high court on Tuesday directed the Thoothukudi district administration to perform the autopsy of bodies of six persons who were killed in police firing during the anti-Sterlite protests that turned violent on May 22. The bodies were preserved following a ruling of the court on May 31.

Chief justice Indira Banerjee who heard a group of petitions related to the protests also directed the administration to rope in doctors from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, and Kerala Institute of Medical Sciences to be present at the autopsy, along with state government doctors. The court also posted the petitions seeking CBI inquiry and action against police for hearing after three weeks.

“Seven other bodies were handed over to the relatives after post-mortem earlier. On Wednesday, autopsy of the remaining bodies will be carried out,” Tuticorin district collector Sandeep Nanduri told reporters. “We have got the instructions from the court and doctors are called in. The autopsy will be videographed,” the collector said.

Meanwhile, members of the National Human Rights Commission and retired judge justice Aruna Jagadeesan who is heading the state judicial probe continued the investigation for the second consecutive day.