Hours after clashes erupted between police and protesters marching to the Sterlite plant in Thoothukudi on Tuesday, reports from the area confirmed eight people have died in police firing and several have been injured in the incident. Officials fear that the death toll might rise by the end of the day.

In the meantime, the Tamil Nadu government reportedly imposed a blackout on television news channels in the Thoothukudi region that were reporting on the Sterlite protests.

Earlier on Tuesday, ugly scenes erupted in the streets of Thoothukudi. Approximately 50,000 people marched towards the collector’s office in Thoothukudi, protesting against the expansion plans of the Sterlite smelter plant. As the people marched forward, the police had to run back.

Policemen who first retorted to firing teargas, later took to opening fire with live rounds as the protests turned violent.

“Gun shooting became unavoidable as the protests turned violent. The police took to shooting only to bring the protesters under control,” said Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar, while explaining the government's actions on the Thoothukudi protests to the media. Jayakumar also claimed the AIADMK had not given the license for the expansion of the Sterlite plant.

Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palanisamy immediately convened a high-level meeting with officials to discuss the violent protests and take stock of the situation at Thoothukudi. In a statement, Palanisamy appealed to the people of Thoothukudi to maintain peace and declared his government respects the sentiments of the people.

The names of six victims have been revealed: Maniraj, Tamilarasan, Glastan, Kandhaiah, Shanmugam and Venista (a 17-year-old student). The critically injured are being treated at the Thoothukudi Government Hospital.

The collector’s office at Thoothukudi looked like war zone, with several vehicles burnt, the glass doors broken and thousands of stones strewn all over the place.

Reinforcements have been rushed from neighbouring districts to Thoothukudi to assist the local administration in restoring normalcy.

Some senior officials have also been despatched from Chennai to the strife-torn town to assess the situation and take measures to restore calm, sources said.

Senior opposition leaders, including M.K. Stalin of the DMK and Vaiko of the MDMK, slammed the AIADMK government for the police firing.

Nearly 3,000 police personnel have been deployed under four additional superintendents of police and 13 deputy SPs to bring the situation under control, official sources said.

(With PTI inputs)