'MHA asks TN govt to provide details of Thoothukudi incident'

The Centre on Wednesday asked the Tamil Nadu government to provide details of the incident at Thoothukudi where nine people were killed in police firing during protest demanding the closure of Vedanta group's Sterlite Copper plant over pollution concerns, officials said.

Union Home Ministry officials said the ministry is in touch with the state government over the developments in the port town in the southern state.

The home ministry has asked the state government to provide details of the incident at Tuticorin, an official said.

Nine people were killed in police firing yesterday after protests for the closure of Sterlite Copper plant over pollution concerns turned violent.

The protests were going on in Thoothukudi for over three months, but violence erupted yesterday with agitators fighting pitched battles with police, prompting it to open fire.