As fresh violence at the site of anti-Sterlite protests was reported from Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, a video emerged showing a man lying on the ground, surrounded by several policemen. The video (above), posted on Twitter by Anna Issac, a journalist with The News Minute, shows one of the policeman prodding the immobile man and asking him to “stop acting”. The News Minute later identified the man as twenty two-year-old Kaliappan, who was allegedly killed in police firing. He was reported to have been declared dead when brought to the Government Hospital in Thoothukudi.
Wednesday is the second day of violence at the protests against the expansion of the Vedanta Group’s Sterlite Copper plant in Thoothukudi. Activists have accused Sterlite of contaminating the region’s air and water resources, causing breathing disorders, skin diseases, heart conditions and cancer. Eleven people were reported to have been killed and several others injured in the violent clash on Tuesday, with police allegedly opening fire on the protestors.
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