Yechury accuses BJP of helping Vedanta

Yechury visited the Thoothukudi Government Hospital in the morning and met those persons in the police firing and their family. CPM state General Secretary K Balakrishnan helped Yechury in communicating with the injured by translating his statements and the grievances of the injured.

Following it, while addressing the media he said that based on the interaction with the injured persons it is evident that the firing was not intended to disperse the crowd but to shoot at the protesters as it is clear from the kind of injuries they suffered.

“Most of them were shot above the waist and chest,” said Yechury.

He also said that rules for dispersing crowds were not followed as the protesters should have been warned by lathicharge and tear gas. Firing is only the last resort but in Thoothukudi, it was used as the first option.

Police were fully prepared and there is also a suspicion that police acted on the orders of the state government.

“There is no confidence in the one-member

retired High Court judge committee to probe the incident and so a sitting High Court judge should probe it under the monitoring of the HC,” he

said. He added that the sitting judge should also probe the alleged links between Vedanta and

BJP. A mere Government Order (GO) passed

for the closure of Sterlite would not stand scrutiny of the law, said Yechury.