Anti-Sterlite protest: ‘900 workers, families told to leave Tuticorin’

The employees’ quarters that housed hundreds of families in Tuticorin town have been vacated. The residential complex next to the collector’s office was also attached and a portion burned during the violence on Tuesday. Two days after the police firing in Tuticorin town, the district administration said that 13 people were killed. Nineteen people are undergoing treatment for severe injuries.

District collector Sandeep Nanduri, who took charge on Thursday after former collector N Venkatesh was transferred, said the state government decided that it doesn’t want Sterlite Copper to operate in Tuticorin. Speaking to the media late Thursday along with a delegation of senior IAS and IPS officers from the state capital, Nanduri said the state government had already disconnected power and water connections to the plant. “The state Pollution Control Board also denied them clearance. It is very clear that the state doesn’t want this unit to function here. Hope the public will understand this and help to restore peace and normalcy,” he said.

Nanduri said around 34 policemen were also injured in the violence. As the Madras High Court has given an order to preserve the bodies of the victims, many families said they were being pressured by the state to sign papers to initiate post-mortem. They said they feared the bodies would be subjected to a second post-mortem if there were further orders from the court. When asked, Additional Chief Secretary P W C Davidar said that the government would look at these complaints and make sure that no families are forced regarding post-mortem.