Tamil Nadu Timeline

Police Firing

13 events, 1908 to 2018; 3 marked as turning points.

  1. 1908

    1. 12 Mar 1908 to 12 Dec 1912TirunelveliProtest

      Arrest of V. O. Chidambaram Pillai and Tirunelveli unrest

      The arrest of V. O. Chidambaram Pillai and Subramania Siva on sedition charges set off unrest in Tirunelveli and Tuticorin.

  2. 1920

    1. 1920PerungamanallurConflict

      Perungamanallur police firing

      Police fired on Piramalai Kallar villagers at Perungamanallur near Madurai who resisted registration under the Criminal Tribes Act.

  3. 1921

    1. 20 Jun 1921 to Oct 1921ChennaiProtest

      Buckingham and Carnatic Mills strike

      Workers of the Buckingham and Carnatic Mills in Madras went on a prolonged strike against Binny and Co. over wages and conditions.

  4. 1928

    1. Feb 1928ChennaiProtest

      Simon Commission boycott in Madras

      Protesters in Madras demonstrated against the Simon Commission, and T. Prakasam famously defied police during the protest.

  5. 1942

    1. Aug 1942 to 1943ChennaiProtest

      Quit India Movement in the Tamil districts

      Congress leaders in the Tamil region were arrested as the Quit India Movement began, followed by strikes, sabotage and police firing.

  6. 1953

    1. 15 Jul 1953KallakudiProtest

      Kallakudi agitation against the name Dalmiapuram

      The DMK protested at Kallakudi against the renaming of the town as Dalmiapuram after an industrialist.

  7. 1954

    1. Aug 1954 to 1 Nov 1956NagercoilProtest

      Travancore Tamil agitation for merger with Madras

      Tamils in southern Travancore-Cochin campaigned under Marshal Nesamony for the merger of Tamil-majority taluks with Madras State.

  8. 1957

    1. Jul 1957 to Sep 1957MudukulathurConflict

      Ramnad (Mudukulathur) riots

      Violent caste clashes broke out in Ramanathapuram district between Thevar and Dalit communities after the 1957 elections.

  9. 1965

    1. 25 Jan 1965 to Mar 1965MaduraiProtest

      1965 anti-Hindi agitation

      Student-led protests against Hindi becoming the sole official language turned into statewide riots, with police firing and self-immolations.

  10. 1982

    1. 1 Mar 1982MandaikaduConflict

      Mandaikadu Hindu-Christian clashes

      Tensions between Hindus and Christians in Kanyakumari district escalated during the Mandaikadu temple festival, leading to police firing and deaths.

  11. 1987

    1. Sep 1987VillupuramProtest

      Vanniyar reservation agitation

      The Vanniyar Sangam led a road blockade agitation in northern Tamil Nadu demanding separate reservation for the Vanniyar community.

  12. 2011

    1. 11 Sep 2011ParamakudiConflict

      Paramakudi police firing

      Police opened fire on Dalits protesting at Paramakudi on the Immanuel Sekaran memorial day, and the death toll rose to seven.

  13. 2018

    1. 22 May 2018ThoothukudiProtest

      Thoothukudi anti-Sterlite police firing

      Police fired on protesters marching against the Sterlite copper smelter in Thoothukudi, killing 13 people; the state ordered the plant closed.