JOIN USPanel reports on Jaya death and Thoothukudi police firing to be tabled in Tamil Nadu Assembly
Reports submitted by the Justice A Arumughaswamy Commission that probed the death of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa and the Justice Aruna Jagadeesan panel that investigated the police firing against anti-Sterlite protesters in Thoothukudi in 2018 will be tabled in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Tuesday.
Speaker M Appavu told reporters that the two reports, which were submitted to the government over the past few months, will be taken up for discussion after they are tabled on the floor of the House. The reports are politically significant as the then AIADMK government came under severe criticism of its handling of the anti-Sterlite protests that ended in the loss of 13 lives after police opened fire on them.
The Arumughaswamy Commission was also appointed by the then Edappadi K Palaniswami-led government as part of a compromise formula to merge the warring AIADMK factions headed by EPS and OPS. Government officials told DH that both reports have been discussed threadbare by the state Cabinet, following which appropriate action has been initiated.
The government, while tabling the reports, will also submit documents detailing the action taken on the reports, officials said.
During the debate, the ruling DMK is likely to put the Opposition AIADMK on the mat as the Justice Arumughaswamy Commission has asked the government to initiate an inquiry against V K Sasikala, then Health Minister C Vijayabaskar, and then Chief Secretary P Rama Mohana Rao.
The Cabinet had in August decided to consult legal experts on the recommendation made by the Commission for initiating government action against the aforementioned persons. “The report along with details of action taken (on the recommendations made by the Commission) will be placed before the Assembly,” an official said.
The Justice Jagadeesan Commission, meanwhile, has recommended action against 17 police officers, the then district collector, and three others in connection with the police firing on May 22, 2018. Officials said the departments concerned have been asked for opinion on the actions recommended by the Commission.
The report is believed to have blamed senior police officers and the then Thoothukudi District Collector for “lack of coordination and using excessive lethal force on the rally taken out to mark the 100th day of the protest.”
It is believed that the Commission has concluded that police fired at the “unarmed” protesters without any provocation and has named 17 police officers, including the then IG (South), DIG, district SP, and others as the parties responsible.
Jayalalithaa, who was wheeled into Apollo Hospitals here on September 22, 2016, passed away on December 5 following a cardiac arrest the previous day. The former CM’s death triggered a massive controversy among her own party colleagues – notably Panneerselvam – casting doubts on the treatment given to her, hinting at foul play, and pointing to the role of V K Sasikala.
The constitution of the Commission was more political than to dispel any doubts as it was the key demand of Panneerselvam to merge his faction with the one led by Edappadi K Palaniswami. After dodging the commission for years, Panneerselvam finally appeared before justice Arumughaswamy in March this year and said he had no suspicion “personally” over the death of the AIADMK supremo and that he was only “reflecting” public sentiments.