Sterlite firing: 4 cops suspended, IPS officers explanations under examination

CHENNAI: Remember 'ace police shooter' A Sudalaikannu, the poster boy of police atrocity at anti-Sterlite protestors in May 2018 at Thoothukudi and who killed at least 4 persons?

He along with three other policemen had been placed under suspension by the government based on justice (retired) Aruna Jagadeesan, nearly a year ago. Others placed under suspension are DSP Thirumalai, police constables M Shankar and Satheesh Kumar.

Details of the action taken on government officials, who are believed to be responsible for the Sterlite firing incident in which 13 people were killed, emerged from the papers submitted by the advocate general before the Madras high court on Friday.

While the then Thoothukudi district collector N Venkatesh is facing disciplinary action and an IAS officer has been appointed as aninquiring authority to look into the disciplinary action against him. Regarding the senior IPS officers Shailesh Kumar Yadav, then IG south zone and now ADGP idol wing, Kapil Kumar Saratkar, then DIG and now additional commissioner of police (HQ) Chennai police and P Mahendran, then district SP and now SP, DVAC, Chennai, against whom the commission has suggested action, had given their explanation for than 10 months ago to the head of the police force and these explanations said to be still under examination. Similarly, explanations were received from DSP R Loganathan, inspector T Parthipan and inspector N Hariharan. Which are under examination.

Departmental actions are being taken against sub inspectors Sornamani and M Rennis, constables Raja, Thandavamurthy, Mathivanan, A Raja and Kannan. Departmental actions are also initiated against revenue officials B Sekar, then deputy Tahsildar, M Kannan then zonal deputy Tahsildar and S Chandran, the then divisional excise officer.