The Tamil Nadu government has announced an additional relief package of Rs 5.25 crore for families of people killed and those seriously injured in the police action during the 2018 anti-Sterlite protest in Thoothukudi.
Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay announced the additional assistance, according to an official press release issued on Wednesday. The release said 13 people died in police firing on protesters on May 22 and May 23, 2018, while 40 others sustained grievous injuries.
The latest announcement adds to compensation already provided by the government. Families of each of the 13 people who were killed had earlier received Rs 25 lakh, while each of the 40 injured persons had received Rs 5 lakh, the press release said.
The additional relief concerns people affected during the agitation against the Sterlite project in Thoothukudi. The announcement places the total number of people covered by the stated compensation measures at 53, including the deceased and those who suffered grievous injuries.
The 2018 protest was connected to opposition to the Sterlite project in the southern Tamil Nadu port city. The latest government statement refers specifically to the police firing on May 22 and May 23, 2018, and sets out the additional assistance for the affected families and injured persons.
Based on the figures in the official release, the earlier compensation amounted to Rs 3.25 crore for the families of the 13 deceased people and Rs 2 crore for the 40 injured persons, or Rs 5.25 crore in total. The new announcement is an additional Rs 5.25 crore over and above those earlier payments.
The release did not provide a beneficiary-wise distribution schedule, a payment deadline or details of the administrative process through which the additional relief will be disbursed. It also did not state whether any other category of person affected by the 2018 events would be covered by the latest package.
The announcement marks a further state response to the deaths and injuries recorded during the Thoothukudi agitation. The next steps will depend on the government’s disbursement process and any further instructions issued to officials handling the additional relief.
