NEW DELHI, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The government in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu has formed an inquiry commission, headed by a retired judge, to probe the deaths of some 10 people in Tuesday's police firing on protesters in the port city of Tuticorin.
"Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palanisamy has ordered the formation of the inquiry commission after 10 people died and over 95 others injured in police firing on 20,000 people who were staging a protest demanding the closure of a copper smelting plant in Tuticorin," an official said Wednesday.
The chief minister has also announced a compensation of 10 lakh rupees (16,000 U.S. dollars) for the families of each of the deceased.
Local Minister D. Jayakumar Tuesday told the media that the police resorted to firing after the protestors suddenly went on a rampage, vandalizing government property and offices.
"The police firing was unavoidable," he said.
The protests have been going on in the city for the past three months, but intensified in the last couple of days, following reports that the company owning the copper smelting plant was seeking renewal of its licence for another 25 years.
The state's main opposition DMK party slammed the government for failing to address the concerns of the local people. "The plant should be shut down," opposition leader M.K. Stalin told the media.
Some five years ago, hundreds of people were hospitalized after they complained of breathlessness and nausea following a gas leak from the plant.
