Ten protesters die at Vedanta mine

aT leasT ten people died after police fired at activists demanding closure of a copper plant run by a firm owned by one of the UK’s richest men.

Demonstrations turned violent on Tuesday around Vedanta resources’ sterlite copper smelting plant in Tuticorin, india, with officials claiming police fired to protect life and property.

at least nine were killed on Tuesday and a further death was reported yesterday.

Vedanta’s owner, founder and chairman, anil agarwal, with around 70pc of its london-listed shares, is 74th on this year’s sunday Times rich list, with an estimated fortune of £1.8bn.

The violence follows months of protests outside the plant, with demonstrators claiming it has polluted the area’s groundwater and put local fisheries at risk. Vedanta wants to double the capacity of the smelter to 800,000 tons, sparking the unrest. a local court has ordered a pause on the plans, and the smelter is closed.

Vedanta has said the protests were based on false allegations.