The National Confederation of Human Rights Organisations (NCHRO) on Thursday demanded that a judicial inquiry be carried out by a sitting High Court judge from a neighbouring State into the Thoothukudi firing. It wanted to know whether necessary warnings were given and due police rules were followed before resorting to firing.
It also sought to know why most of the victims were from a particular organisation and why the upper portions of their body was targeted during firing.
“If it is found that the police officers started firing without following protocol, they should be suspended and criminal action should be initiated against them,” said the statement from A. Marx, chairperson of the NCHRO.
The Tamil Nadu Elementary School Teachers Federation has also condemned the killing of 13 persons in Thoothukudi. In a statement, N. Rangarajan, the general secretary of the association said they condemned the actions of the Tamil Nadu government and the police.
“The protests had been going on peacefully for 100 days and the State government should have called for peaceful talks long back instead of resorting to the use of violence like this,” the statement read. The association demanded that the families of the persons who died in the police firing should be granted ₹1 crore compensation each. They also demanded jobs for the next of kin of the victims.
Bank staff condemn firing
The Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI) condemned the actions of the police department in Thoothukudi and demanded that the Sterlite factory be permanently closed down. In a statement, the federation called for a judicial enquiry into the incident and said the bereaved families of those who had been killed should be given government jobs.
