Anti-Sterlite protests in Thoothukudi: First year anniversary observed; locals turn up to remember 13 victims

Chennai: On May 22, 2018, 13 people were killed in the firing opened by police personnel during protests demanding the closure of the Vedanta's Sterlite Copper smelting plant in Thoothukudi. To mark the first anniversary of the ghastly incident, scores of locals turned up to remember the victims at Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday.

In a bid to avert any untoward incident, especially a day prior to the results of 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, the authorities have put a thick security cover in place.

Locals lit candles and placed them before the portraits of those who lost their lives in police firing. A number of events are being held in different parts of the district.

Last year, most of the people who held the protests were from nearby villages. They had sought the closure of the Sterlite Copper smelter plant, saying it was destroying the farmlands and causing severe health issues in the area.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edapadi K Palaniswamy, who was under fire over police firing, had accused “some political parties and anti-social elements” of "deliberately instigating and misleading" innocent people leading to violence and eventually deaths.

The copper smelting plant was closed in March 2018 for the purpose of routine maintenance for two months. However, on May 28, 2018, the plant was shut down permanently in the wake of violence.

On December 15, 2018, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had passed an order directing the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board to give its nod for the re-opening of the plant within three weeks.

However, the Supreme Court had set aside the NGT order. In fact, the top court had on April 12, 2019, dismissed Vedanta’s plea seeking access to its Thoothukudi-located plant to carry out maintenance work.

Notably, people had been protesting against the copper smelter plant ever since permission was granted for its setup in Tuticorin several years ago, dubbing it as a 'polluting industry'.