One person was killed in police firing in Tuticorin, about 600 km south of Chennai, and several injured after the protest against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP) in the region turned violent on Monday.
The situation in Tiruneveli (KNPP is in this district) and Tuticorin districts remained tense. Details about the number of people injured remains sketchy. The state government has asked the protesters to withdraw their agitation immediately and reiterated the project will not create any problems for their livelihood.
The Kudankulam plant has been the subject of a citizens’ stir after residents in the vicinity said they feared a nuclear accident. Villagers and fishermen remain unconvinced by assurances from experts and the government about security measures.
On on Monday’s shooting, state Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa said the police were trying to protect themselves against a group that wanted to assault them at a checkpost near Manampad in Tuticorin district. The protesters had also blocked the railway track in Tuticorin, stopping several trains. Tension began at Idinthakarai village, close to KNPP, around 650 km from here, as protesters clashed with police. The protest soon spread to neighbouring Tuticorin. People have been protesting on the beach behind the plant since yesterday. They reportedly moved closer to the plant on Monday, which resulted in the clash.
M Pushparayan, a stir leader, said: “We came out in a procession, waving white flags, from Idinthakarai around 10.30 am, and went straight to the beach to avoid any direct confrontation with the large police contingent in the vicinity.”
According to police sources, around 1,000 anti-nuclear protesters led by the People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy tried to march towards the plant but were prevented by the Rapid Action Force and the police, half a km from the site. The agitators were about 500 metres from the plant when the police jumped into action and fired teargas shells. Thousands fled.
The plant was to be commissioned in December last year but the process was stalled because activists raised concerns. However, regulatory authorities have approved the plant and so did the state high court last week.