Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam on Monday termed as tragic the police firing on anti-Sterlite protesters on May 22 and 23.
Speaking to reporters after visiting some of the injured at the Thoothukudi Government Medical College Hospital, he said the 47 victims undergoing treatment were in good health and were expecting a speedy recovery. Terming the violence and the subsequent police action as tragic, he recalled that the Sterlite unit was closed down following a Government Order in March 2013. The company challenged the order in the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and got a verdict in its favour to reopen the plant.