Vedanta has lost its credibility: Medha Patkar

She visited the Thoothukudi government hospital and interacted with those injured in the May 22 firing, and also went to the house of some of the victims, including 17-year-old Snowlin, killed in the police action.

Medha, who submitted a representation to Thoothukudi Collector Sandeep Nanduri, condemned the police and the Thoothukudi administration for the May 22 police firing incident.

“What happened on May 22 (in Thoothukudi) was inhumane, unconstitutional and unacceptable,” she said, adding that she had participated in an anti-Sterlite protest in 1998 and since then agitations have been continuing. But, the successive governments have failed to redress the grievances of the people, she said.

The government diluted all the environmental laws to favour corporates like Vedanta. The Centre was insensitive to the sentiments of the people and was acting only in favour of the Corporates, Medha charged. Accusing that Vedanta has lost its credibility, Patekar said that similar protests were happening in Rathinagiri in Maharashtra, Odisha and also in Zambia.

She rejected the government’s claim of the presence of anti-social elements in the May 22 protest and said the government had provoked the protesters by making unwanted arrests.