Tamil nadu state human rights commission

By Sudarshan VaradhanTHOOTHUKUDI, India (Reuters) - Twelve of the 13 protesters killed when police opened fire on a demonstration against Vedanta's <VDAN.NS> copper smelter in southern India in May were hit by bullets in the head or chest, and half of those were shot from behind, autopsy reports show.gi Two others died after bullets pierced the sides of their heads, according to the reports produced by forensic medicine experts from several government hospitals and reviewed by Reuters. They have not been previously published.In the case of the youngest to be killed, a bullet entered the back of 17-year-old J. Snowlin's head and exited through her mouth, the autopsy found."The deceased would appear to have died of cardio-pulmonary arrest due to firearm bullet injury to the back of the neck," forensic medicine experts who examined Snowlin's body wrote.When Reuters visited her family, they said they had not collected the teenager's autopsy report. "We are continuing to exist, that's … [Read more...] about Exclusive: India anti-Vedanta protesters killed by shots to head, chest; half from behind

By Krishna N. Das and Jatindra Dash LANJIGARH, India (Reuters) – After an Indian state shut a copper smelter run by Vedanta Resources following deadly protests, the company faces another challenge 1,000 miles away, where axe-toting tribesmen and environmentalists have joined forces to demand the closure of an alumina refinery. An alliance of activists and local people have for years blocked London-listed Vedanta’s plans to mine bauxite in the green, jungle-clad Niyamgiri hills of eastern Odisha state, which the tribespeople consider sacred. The killing by police of 13 people protesting against the copper smelter in Tamil Nadu, to the south, has given fresh impetus to their campaign to also close the Odisha refinery run by the company’s Indian unit, Vedanta Ltd. The company is seeking to expand the plant. “We’ll shed our blood for Niyamgiri, we will die for Niyamgiri,” tribal leader Lado Sikaka, carrying an axe hooked onto his shoulder blade in the … [Read more...] about ‘Avatar’ tribe poses second challenge to Vedanta after deadly India protests

By Sudarshan Varadhan THOOTHUKUDI, India (Reuters) – Police in the port city of Thoothukudi in southern India gave no warning last Tuesday before firing with live ammunition on protesters seeking the closure of a copper smelter owned by London-listed Vedanta Resources Plc, according to 16 witnesses interviewed by Reuters. The police also appear to have ignored Indian federal police rules on the use of force to quell protests by, in some cases, firing at the heads of protesters rather than their legs. Friends and relatives of two people who died said they had been shot in the face. Warning protesters before firing is stipulated in the current federal manual for crowd control, and it is also outlined in Section 129 of India’s criminal procedure code, according to a home ministry official in New Delhi, who declined to be identified. “It is mandatory,” the official stressed. Vappala Balachandran, a former deputy police commissioner in Mumbai, added that the manual … [Read more...] about No Warning