Chennai, Oct 19 (PTI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday said those responsible for the "blood chilling" police firing in Thoothukudi that claimed 13 lives during the previous AIADMK regime, will be punished.

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Terming the incident as a "black mark" in Tamil Nadu's history that none could forget or cover up, he said departmental action is being taken on the then collector while disciplinary action has been initiated on three revenue officials.

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Appropriate disciplinary action has also been initiated against the then police officials including IGP of south zone, DIG of Tirunelveli, superintendent of police, Thoothukudi, a DSP, 3 inspectors, a sub inspector and 7 constables, the Chief Minister said while responding to a discussion in the Assembly on the findings of the Commission of Inquiry into the Thoothukudi police firing on the anti-Sterlite protesters in 2018.

"The guilty will be brought to book and punished," Stalin said and remarked that this was proof of how a government should not conduct itself.

He blamed the then Chief Minister K Palaniswami for claiming that he learnt about the incident only through media. "The Commission of Inquiry had clearly pointed out that the then AIADMK Chief Minister has been briefed by the then Chief Secretary and senior police officials on a regular basis," Stalin said.

The previous AIADMK regime did not properly handle the matters related to anti-Sterlite protests, he said and claimed that then AIADMK regime failed to invite the protesters for talks nor was it prepared to elicit their opinion or receive their petitions.

"Not only this, they planned to disperse the protesters by abusing authority. The Justice Aruna Jagadeesan Commission of Inquiry has confirmed in its report that the police firing was pre-planned," Stalin said.

A total of 13 people were shot dead in broad day light and 40 sustained major injuries. As many as 64 people sustained minor injuries.

"This incident is illustrative of the autocratic rule of the then Chief Minister Palaniswami," he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)