Opposition calls for bandh in TN on Friday

The nine-party Opposition, which had earlier announced agitations in all district headquarters in condemnation of the AIADMK’s lackadaisical approach which resulted in the killing of protesters in the coastal town, withdrew the move for the agitation and announced a bandh after the death toll reached 12, with the death of a person in fresh firing on Wednesday.

The Opposition also demanded the immediate closure of the Sterlite unit in Thoothukudi. In an announcement made to this effect by the DMK, the Opposition parties said that Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, who inaugurates flower shows, rests in salubrious Kodaikanal and lays foundation stone to construct a memorial for convicted J Jayalalithaa, did not come forward to hold talks with the protesters and find an amicable solution to the issue.

Accusing the government of not taking preventive measures by mobilising necessary police personnel for the scheduled protest, the parties said that officials at various levels or ministers from that region did not bother to hold talks with the protesters and resolve the issue peacefully, despite the court advising the district administration in this regard. Everyone suspects that the AIADMK regime and officials exploited the situation and avenged the people by engaging in a planned barbaric shooting, they said and added that it has been decided to hold democratic and non-violent protests condemning the “state-sponsored terrorist police firing”, which happened due to the negligent approach of the AIADMK.

Mounting a scathing attack on the police department for firing at the anti-Sterlite agitators in Thoothukudi, PMK MP Anbumani Ramadoss has termed the incident as ‘cold blooded murder’. Addressing the media here, he said the firing incident was a ‘calculated’ plan to eliminate the protesters and both the government and police were wilfully executing such firings to instill a sense of fear among the public so that no such protests take place against the government.

“It is clearly cold-blooded murder by the police department, as they failed to follow any rules while trying to control the agitated mob. People in Thoothukudi have been protesting for 100 days to clean the earth, land and drinking water,” Anbumani said.

PMK founder S Ramadoss slammed the government for shooting one more protester dead on Wednesday. He warned that if such a situation continues, massive protests will erupt in the state.