Court issues NBW against face of Kudankulum protests

A local court on Tuesday issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against anti-nuclear activist SP Udayakumar, spearheading the movement against Kudankulam nuclear power plant. This even as the activist maintained that there was no need for him to surrender as the nuclear plant issue is pending before court.

The NBW against Udayakumar was issued by the Valliyoor court while hearing a case registered by the Revenue and Police of Tirunelveli "for misusing a place of worship to instigate people and agitate against the government on September 10". Udayakumar, his close associates Pushparyan, Jesuraj, Milton and 32 others have been charged with convening a meeting at a church in Idinthakarai and mobilising people to protest against loading uranium fuel in the plant and instigating them against the state and Centre.

Udayakumar's wife Meera has been arraigned as 36th accused in the case. While Udayakumar did not receive the summon personally, his father, who received it, told police he could not meet his son.

When the case came up for hearing on Tuesday, magistrate Crystal Sabitha directed Meera to appear for the next hearing and ordered issue of NBW against Udayakumar and others.

Udayakumar has been evading police since September 10 when police fired teargas shells to disperse anti-nuclear activists who tried to lay siege to the plant.

Earlier in the day, Udayakumar hinted at an interaction with reporters at Kuthankuzhi,10 km from here, that people want to renew their stir and lay siege to the plant once again.

"The strategy committee of the People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) will meet on Wednesday to take a decision," added Udayakumar.

While charging the police with spreading falsehood and harassing people by conducting house to house searches, Udayakumar demanded that the Tamil Nadu government change its stand and hold talks with the protesters.

Meanwhile, pledging solidarity with the protestors, CPI(M) veteran and former Kerala chief mninister VS Achuthanandan set out to Kundankulam from Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday, ignoring his party line, but was stopped by Tamil Nadu police at a border town.

A Tamil Nadu police officer stopped his vehicle as it entered the border town of Kaliyikkavila and requested the 88-year-old leader not to proceed further in view of the security concerns, which he complied with.

Achuthanandan, however, said he was firm in his opinion that nuclear plants were dangerous and recalled that his party had withdrawn support to the UPA government in protest against Indo-US civil nuclear pact.