Sterlite protest: TN government shunts out Thoothukudi district collector, Police chief

Thoothukudi District Collector N Venkatesh has been transferred and Tirunelveli district Collector, Sandeep Nanduri has been appointed in his place, an official release said.

District Superintendent of Police P Mahendran, who is the eye of a storm over police firing on protesters that led to the death of 11 persons, has been transferred to Chennai. Nilgiris District SP Murali Rambha will replace him.

Venkatesh has been posted as Additional State Project Director for the implementation of Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, under the control of state project director, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, the release said.

Mahendran will assume charge as deputy commissioner (Traffic-North) here, it said. The present deputy commissioner (Traffic-North), D Shanmuga Priya will take over as SP, Nilgiris district.

Shilpa Prabhakar Satish will replace Nanduri as Tirunelveli Collector. She is presently the executive vice-chairperson, Tamil Nadu Industrial Guidance and Export Promotion Bureau.

The transfers come in the wake of opposition parties seeking action against the top two Tuticorin district officials over the violence.

A man was shot dead in police firing on Wednesday following fresh clashes between security personnel and locals demanding closure of Vedanta group’s Sterlite Copper plant over pollution concerns, a day after police action left 10 protesters dead.