NEW DELHI: Indian police on Tuesday killed 12 demonstrators after opening fire on thousands of people demanding the closure of a copper factory due to pollution concerns, a police officer said. Protesters rampaged for hours in the southern state of Tamil Nadu calling for the closure of the plant owned by British-based mining giant Vedanta Resources. Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami ordered an inquiry into the shootings but defended the action of police. Residents have been protesting for months against the plant run by a Vedanta subsidiary, Sterlite Copper. The protests have intensified after Vedanta, owned by an Indian billionaire but with its head office in London, sought to expand the plant.

Source: New Strait Times May 22, 2018 15:56 UTC