Sterlite row: Opposition's call for bandh hits normal life in Tamil Nadu

An uneasy calmness prevails in Thoothukudi, while the town tries to resume normal life

Normal life on Friday morning came to a halt in various parts of the State due to the bandh called by main opposition DMK and its allies, including the Congress. 

Meanwhile, an uneasy calmness gripped Thoothukudi, the town where 13 people were killed in police firing during an anti-Sterlite protest. A total of 102 people were injured in the incident that rocked the coastal town. So far, 66 people have been arrested in connection with the violence. 

A few shops and vegetable markets have opened, and people have started venturing out of their homes.

This development comes after the district administration held a meeting on Thursday evening with the police, protesters, trading community and the general public, among others. Around 500 people participated in the meeting. 

Yesterday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E K Palaniswami announced that the Sterlite factory would be closed and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board also issued an order to close the factory and disconnected power connection.

Internet connection is disconnected in three districts, including Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari. This has affected exports and inconvenienced the public as credit and debit cards couldn't be used. Besides, Xth- and XIIth- passed students, whose results were out last week, could not apply for revaluation and counselling.

Section 144 remained in force in Thoothukudi for the fourth straight day, however, bus and train services resumed on Thursday under tight security. 

DMK and other opposition parties yesterday called for a 'dawn-to-dusk bandh. Across the state, most shops were closed and public transportation, including trains, were hit as protesters started blocking the road and railway tracks.

DMK leader Stalin, who was holding a protest outside Tamil Nadu secretariat, was detained by the police on Thursday. Several other leaders were detained too.

Offices were open, while hotels in the city remained closed. In many places, shop owners complained that they were forced to down shutters, following which police arrested a few people in Tiruchy, Madurai and other places, according to reports.

Protesters in Tuticorin, nearly 600 km from Chennai, clashed with the police while protesting the proposed expansion of a copper smelter of Sterlite Copper, a unit of the Vedanta group, over pollution concerns. The Tamil Nadu police resorted to firing as the agitation allegedly turned violent.