Kin of police firing victims welcome Sterlite Copper verdict; seek justice

49-year-old Vanitha was glued to the television since Tuesday morning to catch updates on the Madras High Court verdict in Sterlite Copper’s plea regarding reopening of its Thoothukudi plant. As television channels flashed that the Vedanta-owned copper smelter will not open, albeit for now, the news brought tears of joy in Vanitha’s eyes.

Her daughter Snowlin, then just 17, is the youngest victim of the police firing that killed 12 other people on May 22, 2018 when the 100-day protests against the expansion plans of Sterlite Copper turned violent.

“I could not sleep properly last night. Since morning, I was only glued to the television. Tears rolled down my cheeks the moment I heard the news. Those were tears of joy. The tears have a meaning, that my daughter’s sacrifice has not gone waste,” Vanitha told DH over phone from Thoothukudi.

READ: Sterlite Copper plant in Thoothukudi to remain shut; Madras HC dismisses Vedanta’s plea to reopen the plant

Snowlin was the youngest of Jackson-Vanitha couple’s three children and their only daughter. The family which is into fishing and had participated vociferously in the protests against Sterlite Copper that aggravated in the first half of 2018.

The 17-year-old girl had wanted to pursue law, but her dreams were cut-short abruptly. Her brother Godwin and her father Jackson too expressed happiness at the verdict of the Madras High Court but said no amount of “good news” could bring Snowlin back home.

READ: Sterlite effect: India’s dependence on copper imports to continue

“We are happy that people of Thoothukudi have got what they wanted. But who will compensate us for the loss of my sister? She was the most pampered child in our family. The void left my Snowlin remains,” Godwin said.

Under pressure, the Tamil Nadu government handed over the case relating to police firing to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and constituted a judicial enquiry by retired judge Justice Aruna Jagadeesan. Two years on, there has been no forward movement in either of the enquiries, eluding justice to the victims.

The brother of another victim, Selvasekar, said though the court’s verdict was welcome, he is still apprehensive of what would happen if Sterlite Copper moves the Supreme Court against today’s judgement.

“We are happy for the people of Thoothukudi that their collective struggle has resulted in success. But we need to be careful and cautious as Sterlite will definitely move the Supreme Court. Our road for justice will be long. I think we will just keep waiting,” he said.

Vanitha said she does not wish any “stringent punishment” on policemen involved in the incident but says the government should ensure such incidents never recur in the future.

“Will I get back my daughter if these men are punished? I know I will not. I do not believe in revenge or tit-for-tat. But what we seek is justice for the people who have laid down their lives,” the mother added.

However, Jayakumar said he does not have any hope that justice will be served to the victims. “It has been more than three years since my family lost my brother. We do not have even an iota of confidence that the policemen who shot innocent civilians will be punished. Will the government punish its own men?” he asked.