Fresh attempts to disrupt people’s protests, 're-establish' Sterlite unit in Tamil Nadu

By Vetrivel Chezhian*

Advertisements of the murderous Vedanta Sterlite Corporation have been appearing for the past few days in newspapers and television.
“Strike is towards Destruction, Scholarships awarded to Tuticorin children, Green Tuticorin – 1.25 lakh trees planted” are advertised.
Sterlite Vedanta Corporation has been involved in various crimes like operating without permission, direct burial of hazardous waste in the soil and not creating a green belt for many years. This was revealed during the hearing of the case against the Sterlite plant by the Madras High Court.
Sterlite company and Tamil Nadu police jointly fired and severely suppressed the people in Tuticorin who protested against Sterlite issue.
Close to five years after the firing, anti-people campaign in support of the Sterlite plant has been continuing till now, justifying the firing and insisting on reopening the Sterlite plant.
But till now, the Tuticorin District Police has banned anyone from speaking against the Sterlite plant. The Tuticorin police had also told them that not to talk about Aruna Jagadeesan’s statement in the recent protest held by the Indian Democratic Youth Association. Thus, the police have made it a condition that no one should speak against Sterlite during the demonstrations and protests in Tuticorin.
But in Tuticorin, continuous campaigns are going on in favour of Sterlite. The police never stopped it. Instead the police encourages them.
In this situation, “we will act according to the final report of the CBI investigation”, says Tuticorin District Collector. In the CBI’s chargesheet, it has been recorded that the martyrs who fought were erroneous. The people of Tuticorin tore up the CBI’s chargesheet demanding that the CBI’s investigation should be discarded.
On behalf of the United Anti-Sterlite People’s Federation, a special law should be enacted to remove Sterlite permanently, the murderers should be arrested and criminal action should be taken against them.It is in this situation that the people are constantly fighting to take criminal action, and advertisements are being given by Sterlite in the media.

The Tuticorin District Police has banned anyone from speaking against the Sterlite plant

There is a need to strongly condemns the anti-people media for publishing advertisements of Vedanta Sterlite Corporate Company, which has been doing injustice to the people and the land of Tuticorin.

Also, a protest insisting that a special law should be passed to remove Sterlite permanently, and the murderers of the shooting should be arrested and prosecuted is to be held on December 12. In order to disrupt this, a person claiming to be Vijayakumar from People’s Power spoke inappropriately to Prof Fatima Babu. In that conversation, he falsely claimed that People’s Power was working with the Maoist organization.
Sterlite Vedanta itself has planned and organized such a person to disrupt the people’s protest.
A few years ago Sterlite stooges published a fake press report criticizing Fatima Babu in the name of People’s Power. No action has been taken so far on the complaint filed against this by the police.
All the above incidents are an attempt to disrupt the people’s protests and re-establish the Sterlite plant. It is a well-known fact that the government and Tamil Nadu police are helping this effort of Vedanta Sterlite Corporation.
The government should immediately take action against the Sterlite Vedanta Company and its supporters who are continuously disrupting law and order.
Let the struggle against Vedanta Sterlite Company, which destroyed Tuticorin soil and people’s livelihood, win!
---
*State secretary, People’s Power, Tamil Nadu

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