In response to retired Judge Aruna Jagadeesan's report, the Tamil Nadu government has stated that it has undertaken "departmental action" against 17 police personnel involved in the 2018 firing incident during the anti-Sterlite protests in Thoothukudi, where 13 individuals lost their lives.
The government has underscored that it has provided an additional ex-gratia amount of Rs 5 lakh to the families of the 13 victims of the police firing. Moreover, Rs 1 lakh has been disbursed to 93 individuals who were arrested in connection with the incident and subsequently released.
The government has declared that "departmental action" has been initiated against 17 police officers, including individuals like Sailesh Kumar Yadav and Kapil Kumar C Sharadkar, associated with the tragic event.
Furthermore, the Tamil Nadu government has specified that, based on the Aruna Jagadeesan report, departmental action has been initiated against the then District Collector of Thoothukudi and three Revenue Department Officers.
In conjunction with these disciplinary measures, approval has been granted to press charges against an Inspector, a Sub-Inspector, and a Head Constable. Additionally, three head constables have been suspended from their duties.
The actions taken by the Tamil Nadu government are perceived as a response to the concerns expressed by the public and political circles regarding accountability for the Thoothukudi incident.
