Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi remained tense for the third day on Thursday as one more person injured in police firing in protests against the Sterlite factory died, taking the toll to 13.
Selvasekar succumbed to his injuries in the district hospital, as the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board issued an order to disconnect power supply to Sterlite and to close the plant with immediate effect.
Normal life was affected in Thoothukudi, with shops closed and people remaining indoors even as the protest against police action spread across the state on Thursday, with demonstrations in districts like Erode, Ramanathapuram and Thiruvarur.
In Thoothukudi, police have stepped up patrolling to stop people from forming groups in public places while internet connection has been shut in the district and neighbouring areas.
On Tuesday, police firing killed 11 people, most of them from nearby villages who were demanding the closure of the Sterlite Copper smelter plant they said was destroying the farm lands and leading to severe health issues in the area.
Another person was killed on Wednesday in fresh firing while hundreds of injured are admitted in hospitals.
Meanwhile, TN Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswamy broke his silence over Sterlite violence, and blamed the opposition parties and anti-social elements for the violence that brought down the city to its knees.
Terming the incidents as "unfortunate," he condoled the deaths and said all past agitations for the closure of the Sterlite plant were peaceful. "This time around it (protest) turned violent. It was due to instigation by some political parties and owing to infiltration by anti-social elements," Palaniswamy, who is under relentless attack from the opposition, said.
Recalling steps taken by the AIADMK governments for the closure of the plant, Palaniswamy said the "deliberate" violence was meant "to bring disrepute to the government and put it under pressure".
He said the state government was making efforts for the closure of the plant since 2013, when late J. Jayalalithaa was the chief minister. "As far as Amma's government is concerned, we respect people's feelings," he said, adding all legal steps were under way to shut the Sterlite plant, and cases were pending before the Supreme Court and High Court.