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According to a report in Frontline, the Inquiry Commission listed the following police officials as being involved in open firing against the people who were staging a peaceful protest in front of the Thoothukudi Collectorate: Inspector General of Police (South Zone) Shailesh Kumar Yadav (now ADGP, Police Welfare); Deputy Inspector General of Police (Tirunelveli Range) Kapil Kumar C Saratkar (now an Additional Commissioner of Police Traffic, Chennai city); Superintendent of Police (Thoothukudi) P Mahendran (now Deputy Commissioner, Adyar, Chennai; and Deputy SP (Thoothukudi) Lingathirumaran. Three Inspectors, two Sub-Inspectors, one head constable and seven constables have also been named in the report.
Human rights activists in the state welcomed the findings of the Commission that were leaked. Henri Tiphagne, Executive Director of People’s Watch, said on Twitter, "Justice Aruna Jagadeesan Commission of Inquiry report is welcomed by People’s Watch. The findings of the Commission published in Frontline this evening indicted 17 named police officers & IAS officers." TNM spoke to activists who have continuously raised their voices for justice for the victims and survivors of the police shooting, and people who were affected by the pollution from the Sterlite Copper plant.
The CBI had taken over the investigation into the Thoothukudi firing incident from CB-CID, following an order from the Madras High Court in August 2018. The CBI filed three chargesheets, where it named 101 protestors and only one police officer in the rank of an inspector. The CBI chargesheet stated that glaring lapses were found on the part of several police officers and some revenue department officials, but did not hold them directly responsible for the police firing and only recommended departmental action against them.
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