Sterlite firing: Probe panel submits interim report to CM

Chennai, May 14 (IANS) The single-member Justice (retd) Aruna Jagadeesan Commission, probing the anti-Sterlite riots and police firing in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukodi in May 2018 that claimed the lives of 14 people, submitted its first interim report to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Friday.Justice Jagadeesan submitted the 35 page report along with supporting documents to Stalin at the Secretariat. It is learnt that the commission, set up under the former Madras High court judge in wake of the incident, has recommended to the Chief Minister to withdraw 235 cases against 400 people after the riots and police firing. Highly-placed sources told IANS that this was the key recommendation as most of the people were finding it difficult to get jobs due to lack of a no-objection certificate from the police.On Thursday, the Chief Minister's Office had sought a status report on the probe and this led to the commission submitting its first interim report.The commission had conducted 27 sittings till April and summoned 1,052 people and examined 719 of them. The commission also examined 1,126 documents. The 28th sitting of the commission was to be held from May 17 to May 21 but was postponed due to the lockdown.
--IANS aal/vd