Thoothukudi violence protest: five protesters shot to death; Section 144 of Code of Criminal Procedures evoked

A violent protest has broken out in the South Indian state Tamil Nadu’s costal district of Thoothukudi in a giant rally demanding the closure of the Sterlite copper plant.

The police officials, who have failed to contain the violence through their general means, have been forced to open fire at the protesters.

As many as five people have been killed in the police firing. As per a latest report, the causality is likely to increase in the coming hours as many protesters who has been admitted in the hospital nearby after the incident is in critical conditions.    

The protesters have damaged public properties, public and private vehicles and government and non government buildings during the protest.

The authorities, in order to prevent the escalation of the crisis, have evoked the section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

The evoked precautionary measure is expected to prevent the assembling of five or more persons in the region.

At present, the measure is only imposed in the regions which come under the SIPCOT Police Station and Thoothukudi South. If the authorities find that more regions should be brought under this measure to bring the keep the situation under control, it may bring more regions under this preventive measure.

Vignesh. S. G

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