TUTICORIN: Promotional videos and a strong campaign on social media asking people to join the mass protest on Tuesday to put pressure on the government to close down Sterlite helped mobilise several thousand people.

Over 5,000 protesters gathered near the Our Lady of Snows church in the morning though Section 144 of the CrPC was in force in select areas covering the collectorate and the Sterlite plant. According to the protesters, this turned out to be a campaign against the government and the district administration. Members of some radical outfits had sneaked into the protest, which was predominantly led by youth from Tuticorin and nearby districts.