Koodankulam: 1 dies in n-plant stir, govt slams foreign NGOs

The agitation against the nuclear power plant at Koodankulam in Tamil Nadu took a turn for the worse on Monday after a fisherman died in police firing in neighbouring Thoothukudi district. Near the plant site, police resorted to lathicharge and lobbed teargas shells to disperse protesting villagers who had laid a siege to the plant in a last-ditch effort to stop its commissioning.

About a hundred people from both sides received injuries in the protests, though not serious. By the evening, the situation had been brought under control with thousands of police personnel enforcing an uneasy calm.

Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde blamed "foreign NGOs" for the violence. "Foreign NGOs are supporting the movement. We are aware about the NGOs which are behind it," he told reporters, adding that the government was very clear about producing nuclear energy as it was cheap and clean.

In February, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had accused some US-based NGOs of putting difficulties in the launch of the Koodankulam plant.

Appealing for peace, Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa asked the people not to fall prey to anti-nuclear lobbyists and said the project was safe.

According to local police sources, fisherman G Anthonysamy, 48, was killed when police opened fire at a group of enraged protesters allegedly trying to attack a police station at Kulasekarapattinam. The mob set ablaze a police check-post and post office and was moving towards the station when the personnel opened fire.

A few hours earlier, the fishermen, who declared solidarity with their counterparts in Koodankulam, had taken four police officials including two women personnel as hostages. They were later released.

Led by the People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE), the villagers in the neighbourhood who are opposed to setting up of the plant had decided to change tact from observing a protest fast at Idinthakarai village to laying siege to the plant at a recent meeting. On Sunday, as per the new plan, thousands of villagers including women and children had started marching towards the plant. Stopped by the police, they camped on the seashore less than a kilometre from the plant site.

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