Protesters

“I was grieved to know nine persons were unfortunately killed in this incident,” added Palaniswami. He announced ~10 lakh each to the families of the deceased and a probe by a retired judge into the incident.

Vedanta says the protests are based on “false allegations” and that it plans to double capacity at the smelter, from its current 400,000 tonnes to 800,000 tonnes per year. “We would like to restart the plant as soon as possible, in a peaceful manner,” P Ramnath, chief executive of Vedanta Ltd’s copper business, told Reuters. The plant has been closed since March after the state pollution control board refused to renew its licence due to alleged non-compliance with environmental rules.

The Opposition blamed the state government for the deaths. “The gunning down by the police of 9 people in the #Sterliteprotest in Tamil Nadu, is a brutal example of state sponsored terrorism. These citizens were murdered for protesting against injustice,” tweeted Congress president Rahul Gandhi. MK Stalin of DMK demanded the closure of the plant. Actors Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth, who recently announced their entry into politics, also expressed solidarity with the protesters. “The expansion (of Sterlite Copper) should not at all be allowed. If possible, it will be good to close down the (existing) unit,” Makkal Neethi Mayyam chief Haasan said. Rajinikanth said, “One can’t understand why the government... is not taking any action and is just watching.”

The government said further legal action would be taken, “respecting” the feelings of the public. “The Tamil Nadu govern- ment requests the people to accept this (assurance) and maintain peace,” it said in a statement.

The plant, one of India’s largest such facilities, has had a troubled history since it began operations in 1996. Locals have blamed it for their failing health and a major gas leak in 2013 led the Supreme Court imposing a ₹100 crore fine. The plant has been closed down repeatedly in the past two decade, the last time by the Madras high court in 2013 over similar pollution concerns.

“Prolonged exposure to significantly high levels of heavy metals like copper can damage a person’s central nervous and circulatory system, which in effect means the brain and the blood parameters... Industrial effluents should not go in the environment without treatment,” said Dr YK Gupta, former head of pharmacology department, AIIMS, Delhi.