Actor-turned-politicians Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan, who have been voicing their support for the anti-Sterlite protesters in Thoothukudi (also known as Tuticorin), joined those protesting against the police brutality which left 12 people dead since 22 May.
In a video posted on Twitter, the 67-year-old Rajinikanth criticised the AIADMK-led Tamil Nadu government. Speaking in Tamil and offering condolences to the families of those who lost their lives, Rajinikanth said, “I condemn the carelessness of the government, failure of the state machinery and the police brutality in the Sterlite protests.”
#SterliteProtest pic.twitter.com/XPKov0Ln2O
— Rajinikanth (@rajinikanth) May 23, 2018
On Tuesday, the Tamil cine icon had expressed his grief at the deaths of the protesters in police firing on the 100th day of the agitations against the expansion plans of the Sterlite Industries, a Vedanta-group company.
Rajinikanth accused the government led by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisami of not respecting the sentiments of the people and directly held the government responsible for the deaths.
On the other hand, Kamal Haasan, who is now the chief of Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), met some of those injured during the violence at the General Hospital in Thoothukudi on Wednesday.
Haasan was surrounded by grieving relatives who asked him repeatedly to see what the state government had done to their dear ones. The 63-year-old leader consoled them and said that no amount of compensation given to those who had died would be enough.
According to reports, Haasan claimed that the shooting was engineered to satisfy someone. He demanded that it is important to know “who ordered to shoot yesterday”.
But the actor-turned-politician was booked for violating Section 144, in force in the city since the violence.
Haasan had himself joined the protestors on 1 April, on the 49th day of the agitation. He had previously stated that the expansion of the Sterlite plant, if allowed, might lead to “a Bhopal-like tragedy” in Thoothukudi.
Rajinikanth and Haasan were joined by other Tamil cine stars in the condemnation of the police action.
Saddened and angered by the government’s negligence and attitude that has lead to loss of lives today.When people protest peacefully for a proper cause its the duty of those in power to look into the problem and arrive at an amicable solution! #SterliteProtest
— Sibi (Sathya)raj (@Sibi_Sathyaraj) May 22, 2018
#SterliteProtest deeply saddened to hear about the death of protesters in Tuticorin. My condolences to the families and those affected.
— arvind swami (@thearvindswami) May 22, 2018
Each and every bullet in the chests of dead protestors will come back to haunt this sham of a govt in Tamil Nadu. Deepest condolences and prayers for the murdered innocents and their families. What a dark day in our history. #SterliteProtest
— Siddharth (@Actor_Siddharth) May 22, 2018
Local residents are against the proposed expansion of a copper smelter at the Sterlite unit, and have been protesting since February this year, over pollution concerns. According to them, all water bodies in the region have been contaminated by the pollution generated by the unit. As a result, they claim, many of them are facing severe health problems.
Environment activists agree with the locals. Claiming that copper smelting leads to various kinds of pollution, they have said such plants should be located far away from any residential area. On 24 March 2018, thousands of Thoothukudi residents came out on the streets demanding closure of the copper unit’s operations, after which the unit was shut down on 27 March for 15 days citing “maintenance work”.
Read More: Protests against Sterlite plant in Tuticorin | All you need to know
Opposition parties led by the DMK accused the police of “committing murder”. DMK leader K Kanimozhi said that the police shot even though the protesters were agitating peacefully.
Reports say that the police had initially tried to control the protesters with tear gas and baton charges as hundreds of protesters defied prohibitory orders on the 100th day of their agitation. When they allegedly attacked the District Collectorate, the police resorted to firing.
The protesters alleged that police had used force without provocation on the peaceful gathering.
Chief Minister Palanisamy asked the people to maintain peace and assured that the government will take all legal steps in the matter.