NINE KILLED IN ANTISTERLITE PROTESTS IN TAMIL NADU

Nine people were killed on Tuesday during a protest seeking the closure of Vedanta’s Sterlite Copper unit in Tamil Nadu’s Tuticorin, ANI news agency reported.

The protest turned violent with agitators pelting stones and toppling police vehicles after they were prevented from marching towards the plant. As the violence spiralled, police opened fire, killing a man.

Police said section 144 of CrPc has been invoked in and around the Sterlite unit as per the orders of the Madras high court.

However, angered over not being allowed to take out a rally, the slogan-shouting protesters forcibly tried to push back the security personnel in riot gear.

They then started hurling stones at police and also overturned a vehicle after which the security personnel lobbed teargas shells to disperse them, they said.

While more than 20 people suffered minor injuries in stonepelting incident, some vehicles were set on fire, leading to tension in the area, they added.

Meanwhile, a state minister said though the government appreciated the sentiments of the protesters, police firing had become “unavoidable”.

“Entering the collector’s office and (perpetrating) violence is not acceptable .... (police) firing became an unavoidable,” fisheries minister D Jayakumar told reporters in Chennai.

NEW DELHI: