TIRUNELVELI: Protesters continued the road blockade near Koodankulam plant for the second day on Friday. Due to which, work was again affected at the plant. The second phase of the indefinite fast has been going on since last Sunday (October 9) and 106 protesters staged a hunger fast in front of Lourde Madha Church at Idinthakarai near Koodankulam for the sixth day on Friday. Besides the protest, a 3,000 strong crowd had started a road blockade on the Anjugramam-Uvari road near the plant since Thursday morning. The protesters continued the road blockade on Friday also, preventing workforce entered the plant. The protest committee leader SP Udayakumar told Express that the central government was involved in displacing the RC Bishops in an attempt to prevent the protest. This was not a struggle by members of Christian community. There were equal number of Hindus and Muslims participating in the protest. We conducted special prayers at a mosque in Vijayapathi and the Lourde Madha Church on Thursday for the success of the protest. We also conducted a special pooja at Isakiamman temple at Koodankulam on Friday. Udayakumar added, “the government should tell how many crores of rupees it has spent on the KKNPP project and about the amount of Russian loan as well as the repayment of interest.” “The key officials of KKNPP should declare the details of their assets,” he added. The protesters also alleged that six physically challenged protesters were attacked by the police.around 6 physically-challenged protesters were attacked by police on Thursday night, when they were staging the dharna near the plant. They were admitted to a private hospital at Koodankulam, after which police had forcibly sent them back to Asaripallam Government Medical College Hospital at Nagercoil.An eye-witness ST Lingam of Vairavikinaru, who also took part in the protest, said that while he was talking with his relative, a physically challenged person, around 11 pm on Thursday night, Tirunelveli SP Vijayendra S Bidari attacked the physically challenged protesters. “After taking a photo on his cell phone, and noting down my two-wheeler number, the SP threatened me,” Lingam added.Denying the charges, SP Vijayendra S Bidari said the allegations were totally false and baseless. “The allegations were made with an ulterior motive.” “Police exercised utmost restraint in their actions,” he added.
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