RAMANATHAPURAM, September 16, 2011
"Mishandling of agitation led to Paramakudi deaths"
Special Correspondent
"Police should not have taken extreme step of firing"
Latha Priyakumar, Member, National Commission for Scheduled Castes
(NCSC), said that the lives of six Dalits could have been saved if
police had handled the agitation in a proper manner.
She was visiting Paramakudi and Ramanathapuram to enquire into the
police firing at Paramakudi on Thursday.
Describing the deaths as very unfortunate, she said the mishandling of
the issue had claimed innocent lives.
The preventive measures taken by officials had not created conducive
atmosphere for smooth conduct of the Immanuel Sekaran Memorial Day.
While the public told her that teargas shells were not lobbed before
firing, the police had claimed that the protestors were initially
lathi-charged and teargas shells burst.
However, the police had not used the public address system to warn the
protestors. Similarly, the public had stated that most of those who
died were targeted above the waist.
She felt that the police should not have taken the extreme step of
firing at the protestors for burning government vehicles. No one could
bring back the lives of them but the vehicles could be bought.
They should have cleared the agitators by other means.
Ms. Priyakumar said if police thought that the visit of John Pandian
to Pachery village, where a Dalit boy was murdered, would create a law
and order problem, they could have allowed him to visit the memorial
at Paramakudi.
Asked whether the Commission felt that there was a need for
prosecuting the officials concerned under the SC/ST Act, E.
Dasarathan, Director (Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry), NCSC, said that the
Collector the Superintendent of Police had presented the preliminary
reports about the incident. The Commission had sought a detailed
report from them.
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