The people injured by police shooting on the 100th day of protest demanding the closure of the Sterlite copper plant in 2018 have now submitted a petition to the District Collector’s office asking for reopening of the plant.
On May 22, 2018, police opened fire during a protest against the Sterlite plant in Thoothukudi, killing 13 civilians and injuring many more. In response to the shocking incident, the then-Edappadi Palaniswami government sealed the Sterlite plant.
Ever since the incident, some residents near the plant have wanted the Sterlite plant to reopen, while others want it to remain closed indefinitely. Both groups have been submitting petitions to the Collector’s office. In this scenario, people who were seriously injured in the shooting, villagers near the plant, and fishermen came to the district collector’s office today to file a petition to reopen the Sterlite plant.
Thangam, who was seriously injured in the firing, told the media,” 16 people who were seriously injured in the firing had come to petition the district collector’s office to open the plant. But we were denied entry into the Collector’s office. We are paralyzed with no job opportunities due to the closure of the plant for 4 years. Despite repeated appeals, no help was provided. No action was taken. The factory has said that it will provide job opportunities if the factory is opened. Therefore, the Sterlite plant should be reopened.”
(with inputs from News7 Tamil)
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