Thoothukudi: The Tamil Nadu government appointed single judge commission to probe the May 22/23 violence in Thoothukudi commenced its enquiry on Monday.
Declaring the commencement of the probe, commission head and retired High Court judge Aruna Jagadeesan told media persons at the Thoothukudi district collector's office that a retired district judge and retired staff of the judiciary along with two personnel from the Thoothukudi district administration, have also been appointed to receive petitions and affidavits from the affected persons, public, media, people who witnessed the incident directly and those who have information about the violence.
Stating that the last date of the submission of affidavits has been extended to June 30, she said that those who are willing to submit their petitions could do so either at the camp office of the Commission at the old circuit house on South beach road in Thoothukudi or at the headquarters office on Greenways road in Chennai. “People having video footage of the incidents can submit unedited version of their videos,” said the retired judge who added that edited videos would not be accepted as evidence by the Commission.
On receiving the affidavits, the Commission will examines these and summon people for enquiry, said Justice Aruna Jagadeesan who also said that the witness summoned for enquiry could give his/her statement either at the Thoothukudi camp office or at the Chennai office.
Later, Justice Aruna Jagadeesan inspected the damage caused at the district collector's office and at the Sterlite employees quarters and went to the government medical college hospital to hold an enquiry with tshe injured persons there. She also visited some of the families of the persons killed in the police action.
Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) held an enquiry with Sterlite employees, and the family members of five killed in police action at their camp office at the West Zone office of the Thoothukudi corporation on the second day on Monday. The Thoothukudi sub-collector, along with the two deputy tahsildars and the zonal tahsildar who ordered the police firing and the policemen who carried out the firing order also appeared before the NHRC team for enquiry on Monday.
