DHAKA: Nine people were killed as police opened fire on protesters who went on a rampage demanding closure of a copper smelting plant in Tamil Nadu’s port city of Tuticorin on Tuesday (May 22).

The AIADMK government has appealed people to be calm and a promised to take legal action against the plant, reports NDTV.

People in the locality were on demonstration for past three months demand shutting down the Sterlite copper smelting plant but the authorities did not pay heed to their demands.

On Tuesday, about 20,000 people gathered at the protest site and stormed the district collector’s office, vandalising government property.

BDST: 1811 HRS, MAY 22, 2018

AH