HC STAYS WORK ON TN STERLITE PLANT AS FIRING TOLL RISES TO 11

CHENNAI: A 22-year-old man was killed by a rubber bullet and four others were injured in police firing in Tamil Nadu’s Thoothukudi town, a day after 10 people died during violent protests against a copper smelter plant, whose proposed expansion was stayed by the Madras high court on Wednesday.

The superintendents of police in the Thoothukudi and Nilgiris districts were removed late on Wednesday in fallout of Tuesday’s violence, as was the district collector of Thoothukudi, according to an order issued by the government.

Internet services were also suspended in the region to prevent rumours that might fan more violence from spreading.

Thousands of residents of the coastal town have been protesting for more than three months demanding closure of the plant, run by Sterlite Industries, a subsidiary of the London-based Vedanta Resources, over allegations of widespread contamination of groundwater resources and repeated gas leaks.

The company has denied all charges. Enraged by the 10 deaths on Tuesday, locals took to the streets from Wednesday morning and threw stones and bricks at the police, prompting security personnel to open fire, officials said. Two police vehicles were torched and people were baton-charged in the premises of the local hospital. Television footage showed police in riot gear patrolling streets littered with stones and burnt tyres.