CHENNAI; With the death toll in the Thoothukudi police firing rising to 13, following Selvasekar of Iruvappapuram village, succumbing to injuries due to lathicharge, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Thursday justified the police action against the anti-Sterlite protesters, saying the police acted in self-defence. Anti-social elements had attacked the police under the guise of agitation, he said referring to police firing on May 22 and 23.
“Some political parties and leaders had misguided the agitators against Sterlite. Opposition parties were instigating innocent people to agitate,” he said in a series of tweets in response to criticism from various quarters on police firing and violence. “When someone hits you, you naturally tend to defend yourselves. On such situations, no one acts in a pre-planned manner,” he said.
The CM’s defence came minutes after the DMK working president M. K. Stalin was bundled out of the Secretariat for staging a sudden dharna in front of Mr. Palaniswami’s office, demanding Chief Minister’s resignation in connection with the Thoothukudi police firing incident. Palaniswami claimed that some anti-social elements intruded into the agitation on May 22 and attacked police and torched police vehicles.
