Police opened fire on protesters who went on a rampage today demanding closure of a copper smelting plant in Tamil Nadu's port city of Tuticorin, prompting the ruling AIADMK government to issue appeals for calm and a promise to take legal action against the plant. A statement by the state government did not specify the casualties in the clashes and senior police officers claimed that they could not confirm any deaths. Local media reports, however, said at least nine people had died in today's protests.
