Autopsy shows Tamil Nadu sterlite protesters shot in head, chest

NDTV
Twelve of the 13 protesters killed when police opened fire on a demonstration against Vedanta’s copper smelter in Tamil Nadu in May were hit by bullets in the head or chest, and half of those were shot from behind, autopsy reports show. 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 it,” said her mother. Police rules in India allow the use of live ammunition to counter civil unrest, but say that the response should be proportionate and officers should not shoot to kill. Police Standing Orders for Tamil Nadu say that, when using firearms, “aim should be kept low, preferably well below the waist level, and directed against the most threatening part of the mob”.
The incident was the deadliest at an environmental protest in India in a decade. A working group of United Nations’ human rights experts in May condemned the “apparent excessive and disproportionate use of lethal force by police”.
The Central Bureau of Investigation or CBI is investigating the shootings, which took place as protesters were marching to the local government headquarters in the port city of Thoothukudi, demanding that the Sterlite copper smelter controlled by London-headquartered Vedanta Resources be shut for allegedly polluting the environment.
No police officers have been arrested or charged in connection with the killings. In a statement following the incident the Tamil Nadu state government, which is responsible for the police, said: “Due to unavoidable circumstances, we had to take action to bring the situation under control.”
The Thoothukudi district administration and state police officials did not respond to emails seeking comments on the autopsy reports. The CBI investigating the deaths did not respond to requests for comment on the autopsy findings.