Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'It was an avoidable incident' that was published in Newsband

It was an avoidable incident

A thorough inquiry is required into the deaths in Thoothukudi. The protest against the copper smelter plant of Sterlite Copper in Thoothukudi became so violent that 12 people died in police firing. On May 22, it was the 100th day of this phase of protests.

Reason for deaths: The government’s failure to drive its point home forcefully is one reason. Doubt about the real intent of some of the protesters, possibly a small section, comprising hardline groups, could be another. The immediate task is to compensate the public for its losses and end the alienation of the affected communities through talks. The commission of inquiry headed by retired judge Aruna Jagadeesan is examining why 12 lives were brutally snuffed out. The inquiry must establish who gave the orders to fire and on what basis. Also, why the police failed to intervene well before the protest developed an angry head of steam.

Sterlite stakes claim to be India’s largest copper producer and is a major presence in Tamil Nadu’s industrial mix. But it has had mixed fortunes over the two decades of its production. Now an urgent process, such as an all-party meeting, is needed to heal the wounds, and infuse confidence in the community.

The Police forces in India do not appear to follow standardised crowd and riot control techniques. They seem to employ different levels of force depending on variables such as: 1: STATE: Pellet guns and shoot to kill are employed in Kashmir but not in other states; 2: RELIGION: Hindu demonstrators can expect to be met with less violence than say Muslim ones, cf. the way the Babri Masjid rioters got away with their violence; 3: POLITICAL INFLUENCE: Violence from outfits like Shiv Sena, Bajrang Dal, Hindu Sena, BJP, ABVP etc. are seldom curbed by the police. It is about time that the state response to crowd disturbances such as this tragedy gets standardised. The demonstrators and police should know their rights and restrictions. Shoot to kill, blind or maim must not be a tactic in the arsenal of the police forces. Earl Warren, former Governor of California apty said: “The police must obey the law while enforcing the law”.

Firing live ammunition at rioters and with the explicit intention of killing them is a line the police must seldom cross. Using snipers and assault rifles on your own citizens is not the hallmark of a mature democracy but of a state lurching towards totalitarianism. The incident mirrors the inefficiency of the Government.

But a few glaring facts need pointing out. The visuals telecast on channels clearly show the following: the police were pathetically outnumbered by the protestors everywhere; the police were ill-equipped (mere lathis, no shin guards & BPJs, very little shields, no water-canon, no non-lethal bullets, not enough tear-gas dispensers, just a lone Vajra vehicle etc.); either the police-intelligence totally failed or there was failure at the top-level or both; the protestors chased the police who ran for their dear lives; the protestors indulged in large-scale arson, violence & vandalism; they even roughed-up journalists to destroy evidence; the police resorted to firing from the roof of their vehicle lastly even as they were retreating. While many stakeholders can be blamed for several failures, the crux of the blame must fall on those extremist leaders who hijacked a genuine protest into a violent one. The same was sought to be done by likely the same elements during Jallikattu stir also.

It was an avoidable incident; that the protest was being kept alive by interested parties to embarrass ADMK Govt was obvious. Or else why continue the protest when the Plant was shut down, had been refused "consent to operate by the State Govt" and the Courts were seized of the matter of permission for expansion? That Sterlite had chosen TN for the plant in the nineties was because it was considered a soft State. There was no specific advantage for the plant except that it was a Port to which ores could be brought in from any part of the world and copper could then be exported to the world or into the hinterland in India. Why did the company set it up in Ratnagiri coast or the Gujarat coast, both Agarwal's favourites? Thoothukkudi was unlikely to make national headlines in the nineties and a Govt which wanted to showcase industrial inflow and employment was compliant and complicit.

In these deaths both police and government are responsible. Even after the court mandate they fail to take precautions. So government needs to come further and address the solution for the issue or alternative for their problem either livelihood or peaceful collaboration with protesting leaders for permanent solution.