Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Vedanta protest turns deadly

NINE KILLED IN POLICE FIRING AS ACTIVISTS CALL FOR CONTINUED CLOSURE OF COPPER PLANT

AT LEAST nine people were killed on Tuesday (22) after police fired at pro­testers calling for the closure of a Ve­danta Resources-controlled copper smelter in southern India, a senior po­lice official said.


Residents of the port city of Thootuku­di in Tamil Nadu state and environmen­talists have been demonstrating against one of India’s biggest copper plants for more than three months, alleging it is a major source of pollution.

The latest protest turned violent as a crowd waving black flags stormed the district government headquarters and an apartment block for Vedanta employees, a company official said, declining to be named for fear of being targeted.

Protesters set vehicles on fire and threw stones at police, prompting the police to open fire.

“Nine people are confirmed dead,” said police official Kapil Kumar Saratkar.

The plant, which can produce 400,000 tonnes of copper a year, has been shut for more than 50 days and will remain closed until at least June 6 because the local pol­lution regulator will not allow it to oper­ate due to alleged non-compliance with environmental rules.

Vedanta says the protests are based on “false allegations” and that it plans to double capacity at the smelter to 800,000 tonnes per year.

“We would like to restart the plant as soon as possible, in a peaceful manner,” P Ramnath, chief executive of Vedanta Ltd’s copper business said.

Environmental activists and some lo­cal politicians want the government to shut the plant down permanently.

The head of national opposition party Congress, Rahul Gandhi, slammed the authorities for use of deadly force. “The gunning down by the police of 9 people in ...Tamil Nadu, is a brutal example of state sponsored terrorism. These citizens were murdered for protesting against injustice. My thoughts & prayers are with the fami­lies of these martyrs and the injured,” Gandhi said in a tweet.

Local TV showed police trying to dis­perse the crowd with tear gas and water cannons as smoke rose from several parts of the port city.

State minister D Jayakumar in a TV ad­dress on Tuesday said police fired on protesters and that it was “unavoidable”.

“The inaction of the government has led to the people’s protests, and police resorting to firing to control it. Action should be taken to shut down the plant immediately to address this issue,” MK Stalin, leader of the main opposition group in Tamil Nadu, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, said in a Facebook post.

The plant was shut for more than two months in 2013 by an Indian environ­mental court after residents complained about emissions. (Reuters)

More For You

Shein-Reuters

Shein had aimed to go public in London in the first half of this year, subject to regulatory approvals in the UK and China. (Photo: Reuters)

Shein cuts valuation to £40 billion for London listing

SHEIN is preparing to lower its valuation to around £40 billion for a potential initial public offering (IPO) in London, according to three Reuters sources familiar with the matter.

This is nearly 25 per cent lower than the company's 2023 fundraising valuation as it faces increasing challenges.

Keep ReadingShow less
Northern-Superchargers-Getty

Ben Stokes and Matthew Short of Northern Superchargers walk out to bat during The Hundred match between Manchester Originals and Northern Superchargers on August 11, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo: Getty Images)

Sunrisers Hyderabad to acquire Northern Superchargers in £100 million deal

INDIAN Premier League franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad is set to become the first full owners of an English Hundred team after agreeing to buy Yorkshire’s Northern Superchargers for a reported £100 million.

The Sun Group will be the third IPL-linked investor in the eight-team Hundred competition, following Reliance Industries, which owns Mumbai Indians, and RPSG, which runs Lucknow Super Giants.

Keep ReadingShow less
BT-Getty

A view of the British Telecom (BT) headquarters in central London. (Photo: Getty Images)

BT to remove diversity targets from manager bonuses

BT will remove diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) targets from its manager bonus scheme, replacing them with a measure of overall employee engagement.

The change, set to take effect in April, follows consultation with major investors and has received “strong support,” according to the company, The Telegraph reported.

Keep ReadingShow less
India's central bank cuts interest rates for first time since 2020

The central bank announced a 25-basis-point cut in the benchmark repo rate to 6.25 per cent, the rate at which it lends to commercial banks.. (Photo credit: Reuters)

India's central bank cuts interest rates for first time since 2020

THE RESERVE BANK OF INDIA (RBI) reduced interest rates on Friday for the first time in nearly five years, citing concerns over economic growth despite inflation risks.

The central bank announced a 25-basis-point cut in the benchmark repo rate to 6.25 per cent, the rate at which it lends to commercial banks.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sri Lanka seeks to negotiate with Adani over renewable energy plants

Gautam Adani

Sri Lanka seeks to negotiate with Adani over renewable energy plants

SRI LANKA’S government started talks with India’s Adani Group to lower the cost of power from two wind power projects the group will build in the island nation’s northern province, the cabinet spokesman said last Tuesday (28).

Sri Lanka has been reviewing the group’s local projects after US authorities in November accused billionaire founder Gautam Adani and other executives of being part of a scheme to pay bribes to secure Indian power supply contracts. Adani has denied the allegations.

Keep ReadingShow less