1. TN Invokes ‘Public Emergency’, Sounds High-Level Alert
The state government on Wednesday, 23 May, banned internet services in Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Kanniyakumari districts for five days, starting Wednesday. The move came amid intensifying protests across the State, condemning the police firing in Thoothukudi which left 12 anti-Sterlite protesters dead in the last two days.
In a letter to internet service providers in the State, Home Secretary Niranjan Mardi said provocative messages were being spread on social media, with anti-social elements trying to exploit the situation.
(Source: The Hindu)
2. FIR Against Kamal Haasan for Visiting Injured Protesters in the Hospital
Thoothukudi police filed an FIR against Makkal Needhi Maiam president Kamal Haasan for visiting the Thoothukudi Government Hospital by breaching the prohibitory orders.
On Wednesday, 23 May, the actor-turned-politician visited the government hospital, with few of his party's functionaries to console the relatives of the deceased and the injured being treated. Offering comforts to the injured and relatives of the deceased, Kamal Haasan, while speaking to media persons, insisted the closure of the Sterlite plant forthwith and also criticised the state government for handling the situation in a rougher manner.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
3. Slum Resettlement Takes a Toll on Marks
Most children of families who were relocated to the Navalur Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board tenements last year have either failed or scored very low marks in the SSLC exams.
“My daughter failed too. I don’t know what to do now,” said Rukmini, who was moved from Arumbakkam seven months ago. The two women, along with hundreds of other families from across the city were shifted 55 km away from their houses to make way for the Integrated Cooum River Eco-Restoration Project. Before the resettlement drive, these families had held protests and written to the authorities urging to stall the move until the children wrote the public exams. They had feared that the mid-academic year eviction would affect their studies.
(Source: The Hindu)
4. Former Madras HC Judge to Head Inquiry into Thoothukudi Police Firing
The State government on Wednesday, 23 May, announced the appointment of Aruna Jagadeesan, a retired judge of the Madras High Court, to head the inquiry commission into the police firing at Thoothukudi on Tuesday, which claimed more than 10 lives.
The announcement followed a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami at the Secretariat. The meeting was attended by Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, senior ministers, Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan, DGP TK Rajendran and senior officials.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
5.‘Kurangini Fire Report to be Submitted Soon’
Minister for Forests Dindigul C Sreenivasan on Tuesday, 22 May, said the one-man commission headed by an IAS officer on Kurangani fire would submit its report soon.
Speaking at the International Day for Biological Diversity celebrations in Chennai, he said initial reports on the fire had suggested that the trekkers did not heed the advice from the Forest department.
However, the final report would provide an exact picture, he added.
(Source: The Hindu)
6. HC Grants Advanced Bail to Bharathiraja
The Madras High Court on Wednesday, 23 May, granted anticipatory bail to film director K Bharathiraja, 76, in a case booked against him by the Vadapalani police on the basis of a complaint lodged by a Hindu Makkal Munnani office-bearer for having allegedly termed Lord Ganesha as an “imported God” while addressing a public gathering in January this year.
(Source: The Hindu)
7. Tamil Film Industry Condemns Police Action
The recent brutal killing of more than 10 protesters against the Sterlite Copper plant in Thoothukudi by police has had leading actors roundly condemning the police opening fire on protesters that killed at least 10, besides injuring many and the State government.
In a statement on Tuesday, 22 May, Nadigar Sangam condemned the police violence on protesters and called it ‘an inhuman act.’ Nadigar Sangam president Nasser and general secretary Vishal presented a petition to Governor Banwarilal Purohit.
(Source: The Hindu)
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