Former Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer B Balamurugan, who held the post of Deputy Commissioner of Goods and Service Tax (GST) in Chennai, was denied police permission on Thursday, August 29, to hold a protest against Ennore cash payouts. Balamurugan had announced that he will begin an indefinite hunger strike from Friday, August 30, to urge Ennore’s villagers to return the money. TNM had reported that four villages in Chennai’s Ennore were paid cash to not protest against the Murugappa group’s Coromandel International Limited (CIL).
Balamurugan told TNM, “I learnt of the cash payouts through the media. Later, a resident of Thalankuppam village also called me and admitted that money was distributed and that he had refused to accept it. Therefore, I wanted to protest to urge the villagers to return the bribes that they had taken in exchange for peace. If they do not return the money, they will lose their right to question the company tomorrow.”
According to Balamurugan, the police had initially cited Ganesh Chathurthi celebrations to deny the permission orally. However, in a letter, the Ennore police said that permission cannot be granted as the protest was against the state government and it could become a law and order issue. “My protest is not against the government. I had clearly stated that I wanted to urge the people to return money and I wanted to protest against the company for bribing the villagers. It also will not become a law and order issue. I have therefore written to the Chief Minister regarding the same,” Balamurugan reacted.
While villagers told TNM that the cash was arranged with the help of DMK MLA KP Shankar by CIL, both CIL and the MLA have denied the allegations. Even though it remains unclear as to who distributed the cash, TNM found that residents of two of the four villages– Thalankuppam and Nettukuppam– were given Rs 1 crore each, while residents of Periyakuppam and Chinnakuppam were paid Rs 50 lakh and Rs 35 lakh respectively. Each resident who was a part of their respective village committee was paid Rs 10,000 each, while widows were paid Rs 5,000 each.
These four villages were among the 33 villages that protested against CIL for over 100 days of protest, following the ammonia gas leak that hospitalised 42 people in December 2023. They had been demanding that the plant should be permanently closed. Balamurugan, who resides in north Chennai, also took part in these protests.
Read: TNM Impact: TN Min to hold discussions on Ennore cash payouts, will an inquiry follow?