The National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes has sent notice to the Director-General of Police (DGP) and the Home Secretary of Tamil Nadu demanding that they furnish all details about the need for opening fire at Dalits in three places – Paramakudi, Ilayangudi in Sivaganga district and Madurai – on the same day on September 11.
Speaking to The Hindu over phone on Tuesday from New Delhi, Latha Priyakumar, Member, National Commission for SC/ST, said Ramanathapuram District Collector V. Arun Roy and Superintendent of Police Kaliraj S. Mahesh Kumar had deposed before the full commission on Monday and they were examined by the Vice-Chairman Dr. Rajkumar Verka and other members.
She said the Commission was not satisfied with the reply given by them about the provocation, the procedures followed by the police before opening fire at Paramakudi, the details of rounds of fire opened, and ammunition stock before and after the firing, recovery of shells after the shooting and others.
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Moreover, the Commission had not received the post-mortem reports of those killed in the firing and the Superintendent of Police of Madurai had not sent his report on the shooting incident in Madurai. Hence, the Commission decided to send a notice to the DGP and the Home Secretary. Ms. Priyakumar said the Commission was of the view that the arrest of John Pandian, president of the Thamizhaka Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, snowballed into a major problem; otherwise the entire incident could have been avoided.