MHA asks Tamil Nadu for report on Tuticorin violence, Rajnath appeals for peace

The Ministry of Home Affairs has sought a report from the Tamil Nadu government on the police firing in Tuticorin and the prevailing situation in the town, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday.

Singh also appealed to the people of Tuticorin to remain calm and maintain peace following the violence, in which 11 people were killed in police firing during protests demanding the closure of Vedanta group's Sterlite Copper plant over pollution concerns.

"The MHA has taken cognisance of the situation and sought a report on the incident and the prevailing situation from the state government," the minister said in a statement here.

The ministry has been in touch with the Tamil Nadu government on violent incidents in Tuticorin and a detailed report has been sought on the sequence of events and circumstances leading to the loss of lives on May 22, an official said.

The Tamil Nadu government has been asked to provide details of the action taken to restore peace and normalcy. The state government has also been requested to give a detailed report on the Sterlite plant.

The home minister said he was deeply pained at the loss of precious lives during the agitation at Tuticorin.

"My thoughts are with the bereaved families. I also pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. I appeal to the people in Tuticorin to remain calm and maintain peace and tranquility in the region," he said.

Protests against the Sterlite plant have been going on for over three months, but violence first erupted on Tuesday with agitators fighting pitched battles with police, prompting it to open fire.

The DMK and other opposition parties in Tamil Nadu have called for a dawn-to-dusk bandh tomorrow, condemning the police action against protesters in Tuticorin.  

Earlier in the day, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palaniswami blamed opposition parties, NGOs and anti-social elements for the killings in anti-Sterlite protests.

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) working president MK Stalin was detained earlier today after he held an agitation outside Tamil Nadu secretariat over the killings of the agitators who were protesting the construction of new Sterlite's copper smelter plant in Thoothukudi on Tuesday.

A clash also broke about between DMK workers and the police when the former were demanding the resignation of chief minister E Palaniswami, holding his government responsible for the killing of the protesters.

The people in the city have been contending that the plant would further pollute the water and pose environmental hazards.

The DMK has already announced that it will observe a statewide shutdown on Friday to protest against the action taken by the police.

Police have been deployed in large numbers in the sensitive coastal areas.

Till now, 67 people have been arrested for indulging in violence.

Internet services have been temporarily shut down in Thoothukudi and will remain suspended for another five days in the city.

The agitation turned violent after protesters were barred from marching up to the plant following which they began to pelt stones and toppled police vehicles.