Kudankulam: Protesters held on way to TN House

The struggle against the nuclear plant at Kudankulam came closer to the centre of power on Monday, with the anti-nuclear protesters, the numbers of whom was bolstered by political parties, staged a protest meeting in Chennai. The leaders of the outfits along with hundreds of cadre were arrested when they marched towards the State Secretariat to gherao it as announced earlier.

The People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) spearheading the agitation at Kudankulam had resolved to lay siege to the secretariat after their protests in and around the plant site in south Tamil Nadu failed to stop the commissioning of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project. A host of political parties and outfits had pledged support for this.

On Monday, the anti-nuclear protesters and cadres of MDMK, PMK, VCK, MMK, TVK and other political parties with members of outfits including fishermen's associations staged a protest, demanding closure of the plant. This was perhaps the first time these leaders were coming together on a platform since the Sri Lankan Tamil issue.

Leaders including MDMK general secretary Vaiko, VCK leader Thol Thirumavalan MP, Tamil nationalist leader P Nedumaran, MMK leader Jawahirulla and others took on the authorities for clamping down the peaceful protests by the villagers near the plant. Such efforts to muzzle public protests would not succeed, said the leaders and demanded that the police personnel deployed near the plant site should be removed.

The police detained leaders and hundreds of protesters at the protest site on Monday.

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