Thoothukudi: The Chief Minister Mr. Edappadi K Palaniswami, blaming the DMK responsible for the violence at the May 22 anti-Sterlite rally will only help the fringe groups like the Makkal Adhigaram, Naam Tamilar Katchi and Puratchikara Ilagnar Munnani, whose cadres hijacked the peace protest to make it violent, resulting in the loss of 13 lives.
“This kind of blame game for petty political reasons would never help the administration find out the real culprits behind the riot,” regretted a police officer in Thoothukudi district. He too pointed that an hour before the bigger rally started from the Lady of our Snows church on the beach road, around 200 DMK men led by Thoothukudi MLA P Geetha Jeevan were picked up by the police for going in a procession that was started from Thoothukudi new bus stand.
“The DMK held the procession just to register their protest and agreed to police order as has been decided earlier,” said the police officer, who, however, added that the real culprits behind the violence were a very few handful of men, who included some lawyers owing allegiance to fringe organisation like the Makkal Adhigaram and Puratchikara Ilaignar Munnani.
“Two of the cadres of these outfits too were killed in police firing,” pointed out the police officer, adding that examining the photos, video clippings and CCTV footage have revealed the presence of outsiders.
“Many of these men who started stone pelting and attacking the police were clad in black,” said the police officer, who too had stated that the youths, who ravaged the district collector’s office premises had sported handkerchiefs to hide their identity.
The police officer further warned that unless these fringe elements were rightly identified and nipped in the bud, this industrial hub might have to face many more such violence against orderly industrial development in the region.
