TUTICORIN: The one-member retired Justice Aruna Jagadeesan commission formed by the state government to probe the riots and police firing on the hundredth day of the anti-Sterlite protest completed the twenty-third sitting of the hearing here on Friday.
A total of 42 witnesses testified before the commission in the five-day sitting that was held at its camp officer, the old circuit road, on the beach road on Monday.
This takes the total number of witnesses, who have testified before the commission in the 23 sittings, to 586 and a total of 775 documents have been marked so far.
The commission’s counsel Arul Vadivel said that a total of 49 persons were summoned for the sitting. They are primarily fire and rescue services personnel and police personnel and their kin at the police quarters at the third Mile and on the Beach Road, since their quarters were under attack.
“Seven persons who could not appear, include police personnel in the rank of sub inspector and those in the lower ranks and two fire and rescue services personnel. They could not appear as they got transferred to other districts and are serving there. They have sought time to appear before the commission,” he said.
Date for the next sitting that will be held in January is yet to be finalised but it will be after Pongal holidays.
Arul Vadivel said that doctors and those who treated the injured in the incident will be summoned to testify in the twenty-fourth sitting. It is learnt that there are many to be quizzed in the session, considering the number of persons who were injured.
The counsel said that the then district collector, superintendent of police, police officers and police personnel directly involved in the incident will be asked to appear only in the last phase. He added that the commission will send a reminder to the government to provide jobs on compassionate grounds based on the qualification of kin of the deceased.