Pearl City Massacre is an event unknown to many, where on 22 and 23 May 2018, in Thoothukudi Town, protests led to firing leading to deaths.
Watch the powerful Pearl City Massacre Trailer, Movie released on May 20, 2022
Synopsis: Pearl City Massacre narrates the protests against Sterlite Copper, a subsidiary of the global mining giant, Vedanta Resources, headquartered in London. The protests were by the local people to safeguard their environment from the toxic fumes and poisonous water the factory discharged. The protests turned into tragedy when mishandling by the authorities resulted in a police firing, massacring 15 innocent lives. The documentary is a poignant telling of this grave injustice – local townspeople were shot dead when they stood up for their environment. We believe that the documentary will receive widespread attention given the visibility of the incident itself and the anticipation by the public to know the full context and the truth. IMPORTANT REQUEST: Kindly sign the below petition to support the justice campaign for the people who got affected by the Sterlite Industry in Tuticorin.
Crew & Cast: Written and directed by -M.S.Raj Produced by : Joseph Prem Anand, Ilangovan Chandran, Ramya Mervin, Naatchiyal Suganthi, Jegadish I, Michael Xavier Cameraman: Sreedhar Music: Al Rufian Editor: Deepak S Dwaraknath Associate Editor: Sudhir DI: CA Digital Studio Colorist: Raju Selvam Conformist: Chandru K, Aravindhan AD Sound effects: Narayanan Sound Mix: J. Francis Xavier CG: D.S Raghavan Publicity design: Gurubaran Mano ; D Pradeepraj PRO: KSK Selva.
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https://www.tamilsott.com/video.php?id=32
Please do watch this powerful movie, the trailer grips you from the start, transfixing as shocking events unroll, a story never told yet in such intricate detail unfolds before you.
The Pearl City Massacre also called the Thoothukudi Massacre
The Thoothukudi Massacre, known by various names also called the Pearl City Massacre took place on 22 and 23 May 2018 in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, India. The people in the area were protesting against the proposed expansion of a copper smelter plant run by Sterlite Corporation in Thoothukudi Town which would release toxic poison into the area. Protesters opposed the soil, water, and air contamination caused by the factory.
Police opened fire on the protesters, and killed 14 people, leaving 102 injured. Several policemen were also injured during the protests.
Events that Led to the Firing in the Pearl City Massacre
On 22 May morning, the people from the coastal area started marching to the collector’s office from the Our Lady of Snows Church around 10 am. Police tried to prevent the crowd at the church, but the crowd was determined to march. Many people, including media persons, were thrashed up by the crowd, and equipment including cameras was smashed.
The crowd grew as the march progressed while police had barricaded roads near the villages close to Sterlite, and as a result, a majority of the original protestors — villagers from Kumareddiyapuram and its neighboring areas — could not reach the protest site at all.
An altercation started between the police and the protesters in front of the first barricade after some protesters asked them why they were siding with the Sterlite, the police started to beat up the people with sticks after realizing the crowds were determined to march. The fights grew intense with the police attempting to stop the crowds who threw stones and shoes at the police. An explosive substance was thrown at the police and the mob torched two police vehicles.
The mob continued entering to Collector Office Campus despite attempts by the police to stop them. At this point, without any warning, the police started shooting down the protesters, The police were also reported to intentionally shoot at the heads of the protesters.
Fifteen protesters were killed including a 17-year-old school student, and hundreds were injured.
FIRs filed in local police stations, claimed that the order to shoot was issued by officers in the rank of deputy Tehsildars and people pointed out that only collectors have the authority to issue shooting orders.
The Tamil Nadu government ordered a shutdown of the Internet in the entire districts of Tuticorin, Tirunelveli, and Kanyakumari for five days after the firing.
Don’t forget to watch the movie The Pearl City Massacre made now!