Sterlite firing: Justice Aruna Commission submits interim report to Tamil Nadu CM Stalin

In the latest development, the Justice Aruna Commission probing the firing at anti-Sterlite protestors in Thoothukudi in 2018 submitted an interim report to Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin Friday. On May 22, 2018 - the 100th day of the protests against the Vedanta's Sterlite copper plant-  protesters marching to Thoothukudi (Tuticorin) Collectorate against repeated directives and warnings of the authorities, was shot at by the police following which 13 were killed over the next two days in a crackdown by the law enforcement. Retired Justice Aruna Jagadeesan submitted the Commission's interim report on the Sterlite incident to CM Stalin after meeting him at the Secretariat in Thoothukudi on Friday. She also made a Rs 50,000 contribution to the CM's Relief Fund as Tamil Nadu battled the second wave of COVID. MK Stalin has only recently taken charge at the helm of affairs at Tamil Nadu.

Just weeks earlier, actor Rajinikanth, a staunch vocal critic of the violence that took place during the protests at the time, diluted his statement in front of the Courts. Rajinikanth backtracked his stance on Sterlite Copper violence in a report submitted to a probe commission and admitted that he 'had no evidence to back' his earlier statement about the involvement of anti-social elements in May 2018 which turned the protest violent and led to the firing and killing of 13 people in Tamil Nadu. Rajinikanth was summoned by the commission that is investigating the anti-Sterlite protest, and the commission had called on the actor to give his statement after raising objectionable comments at the time of the incident. While reporting to the commission, the actor quipped that he does not have any substantiative proof to support his claim regarding the involvement of anti-social elements. 

What is the anti-Sterlite Copper plant protest?

The Sterlite Copper plant has been in operation in Tuticorin since 1997 and has been punctuated by controversies through the years. The fresh protests in 2018 were triggered by the company's plan to expand its Brownfield plant in Tuticorin, which entailed doubling the capacity of the copper smelter plant to 8 lakh tonnes per year. The controversy was triggered after activists protested the plant and argued that the pollution from the copper plant, including issues relating to disposal of copper waste and industrial effluents affected the surrounding area, thereby demanding its permanent closure.

Vedanta Group, which owns Sterlite, responded to the allegation and stated that the firm received the necessary permits to conduct operations and that it was not in violation of any norms. While the protest heated, DMK and Kamal Haasan's MNM joined the people's anti-Sterlite protest, ruling AIADMK was left with the choice of either shutting the plant that produced 35% of India's copper market or keep it running amid the growing violence.

On May 22, 2018 - the 100th day of the protests against the copper plant-  protesters marching to Thoothukudi (Tuticorin) Collectorate against repeated directives and warnings of the authorities, was shot at by the police. 13 people were killed in the police crackdown that followed on May 22 and 23. Tamil Nadu CM Palaniswami condoled the deaths but shockingly enough, justified the violence against the '20,000-strong crowd and noted that it was with a view to bringing under control the violence of the crowd that the police, under unavoidable circumstances, had to resort to the firing.' 

What followed after was nearly three years of case trials and investigations. Though the case was handed over to the CBI, which named 72 people (including Rajinikanth) to be summoned for additional questioning in the case. It is understood that several of those 72 people had organised and were a part of the 100-day protest against the Vedanta Group and had regularly appeared before the lower courts in connection with other cases, but all of them against Sterlite.