[Reader-list] Confirmed Updates: Koodankulam 11 Sep. 10 a.m.

[Anivar Aravind]

Given the* *large number of conflicting reports that have been making the
rounds, a few of us -- informed by reliable local sources -- have attempted
to reconstruct the events leading up to the current situation based on
confirmed information. Information, where unconfirmed, is indicated.

Based on eye-witness reports by Amrithraj Stephen, interviews by Nityanand
Jayaraman, Revathi and Amritharaj, and updates and articles published on
internet.

*Police violence on peaceful protesters in Koodankulam - An update*

*RECENT UPDATE:*

Friends in the media have reported that all top police brass have gathered
in Koodankulam to chalk out a strategy to wipe out the movement. According
to the media sources, intelligence officials are reporting that two women
police are missing and are untraceable. Villagers say that no policepersons
have been taken hostage. It is feared that this rumour is being used to
fuel public opinion against the protestors and to justify any repressive
action by the police against villagers. In this context, to pre-empt any
untoward incident, Mr. S.P. Udayakumar has announced that key leaders of
the movement will surrender tonight at Koodankulam Police Station in the
presence of prominent political leaders.

*YESTERDAY'S GOINGS ON*

Responding to the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board's clearance to commence
nuclear fuel loading in the Koodankulam plant, the People's Movement
Against Nuclear Energy announced that protestors would lay siege to the
plant on 9 September. Police force was deployed in huge numbers in the
area. On that day, between 8000 and 10000 people, including children and
women from Idinthakarai and neighbouring villages started from the Lourde
Matha church in Idinthakarai. They walked down the coastal path avoiding
the road route and were stopped by the police around 800 metres away from
the plant. The protesters sat down on the sea shore and said they will
continue their struggle from there. S.P.Udayakumar, co-ordinator of the
struggle committee, announced that they want the Tamilnadu government to
intervene and respond to the demands of the protesting masses. All the
protesters stayed put on the sea shore braving the weather and other
hardships.

On the morning of the 10th of september, the police came in with the strike
force resorted to a tentative lathi charge around 10.30 am. After a scuffle
that lasted a few minutes, police withdrew to a distance and uneasy calm
prevailed. “The situation is back to normal,” a protestor told us at 10.30,
as if anything about the situation could be considered normal. The
congregation of mostly baton-wielding police forces swelled in size. A
large riot-gear bedecked police force was in the frontline facing the
people, and tear gas lobbers were on stand-by.

After sometime two young men on a fibre boat tried to go towards KKNP. The
protesters were against this and took permission from the police and went
towards the young men and spoke them back to the place they were all
sitting. As the two young men came back the police according to the
Tirunelveli SP Vijendra Bidari's orders, nabbed them. This caused unrest
amongst the protesters and they argued with the police, asking why they're
arresting them after they have come back. Around this time at 11.30
Tirunelveli SP Vijendra Bidari announced the protesters to disperse in ten
minutes failing which police will take action.

Women formed the first line of protestors and were closest to the plant,
while the children and men strung out along the beach towards the
Idinthakarai village. Just before the strike began, DIG Rajesh Das
instructed the strike force to move towards the centre of the congregation
and enter from the centre so as to divide the women and men.

As people all over Tamilnadu and elsewhere were watching this live on
television, and even as the reporter was announcing that the ten minute
countdown has started we could see tear gas shells being lobbed at the
protesters. According to protester who was at the site, "A small commotion
over policemen pushing two volunteer youth started and a few women shouted
at the police men and a crowd gathered around them. Police men ran towards
there and started lathi charge. Even before we could realise, tear gas
shells were lobbed at us."

As we could see from the live telecast, many teargas shells were lobbed and
police went into the crowd in force and resorted to heavy lathicharging. Caught
between a tide of armed police and the ocean, women and children tried to
throw handsful of sand at the policemen to escape lathi blows; children
were caught in the melee. A large number of men jumped into the sea, even
as members of the Rapid Action Force were caught on television pelting
stones, sticks and slippers at those at sea. The police were threatening
those wading in the sea with death and bodily harm upon their return to the
beach. At one point, the source of this information heard a policeman
pointing out to a youth holding a mobile phone and shouting that he was
holding a bomb. The source intervened to point out that it was a mobile
phone.

Sahaya Initha, a prominent leader of the movement and a ward councillor,
was targetted by the police and badly injured.

In a television interview, S.P. Udayakumar, who had by then moved to
safety, said that he had been shot at. This incident was confirmed by other
by-standers who said that shots were fired at the fibre boat in which
Udayakumar was attempting to leave the site.

*Media People Injured*

Several media persons were injured, and at least one cameraman from Times
Now was intentionally targetted. With most of the action centred around the
seashore, a separate posse of policemen went about systematically breaking
the vehicles used by protestors to come to the protest site. Only one
cameraman, from Times Now, was present videographing the actions. The
police attacked him causing serious injuries. He required at least four
stitches above his eyebrow. His camera was destroyed and thrown into the
sea, and the videotape reportedly removed.

Unconfirmed reports state that the motorcycles belonging to three media
persons were also damaged in the police action.

A Dinakaran reporter was roughed up, and the Makkal TV reporter was pushed
into the thorns.

*Police Vandalism*

Following in the heels of the departing people, the police also
systematically destroyed the expensive outboard engines on the boats parked
on the beach. One constable was working to set fire to the pandal, but
stopped when he saw a photographer (the source of this information) poised
to capture his act on camera. The photographer then alerted the Puthiya
Thalaimurai reporter Mr. Ramanujam. The constable tried one more time
before giving up, and angrily told the photographer that the latter was
disrupting his work. The pandal on the seashore was pulled down. The lights
and speakers were broken. Sand was thrown in the food that was prepared for
lunch by the protestors.

*Entering Idinthakarai*

During the course of the melee at the seaside, a separate force of about
400 police persons entered the Idinthakarai village. The media was busy
covering the riot-like situation on the coast and did not accompany the
police force that went to Idinthakarai village. The police went
door-to-door searching for men. When they reached the seaside, they saw
about 150 to 200 youth gathered there. The youth dived into the sea to take
refuge, while the police opened fire and taunted them from the shore
threatening them with dire consequences when they return to shore.

*Church Desecrated*

It was during this time that the police desecrated the Lourdu Matha shrine.
Idols were broken. Policemen spat and urinated inside the church. The
pandal (tent) erected to provide shelter to the protestors was pulled down,
and the lights vandalized. The water cans were broken. The Tamil Nadu Water
and Drainage Board's public water supply point in Koodankulam village too
was reportedly broken.

Women who were watching the goings-on from hidden vantage points also
reported that unknown men in white dhotis and shirts were seen stoning
police vehicles with the police photographing the same.

News reports stated that the Panchayat office and the local TASMAC
(Government-owned wine shop) in Koodankulam were set on fire by the
villagers. However, the villagers in Koodankulam insist that no such
incident happened. They admit that the awning (asbestos shelter) protruding
from the wine shop was damaged. But neither the Panchayat office nor the
TASMAC shop were set on fire or damaged.

Later in the evening around sixty five people were arrested from the
Koodankulam village. Between 2.00 pm and 3.00 pm the police carried out a
house to house search.

Last evening, the police entered the Tsunami Colony in Idinthakarai and
conducted a door-to-door search. They also reported damaged a few of the
houses.

*Current Situation*

An uneasy calm prevails. Essential supplies to Idinthakarai village have
been blocked. All of yesterday, there was no water, especially since the
water reserve was emptied by the police forces. As of 9.30 a.m. on 11
September, no supplies have been allowed to reach the village from beyond
Thomas Mandapam, the location of the police barricade. One tractor-load of
water was brought in at around 9.30 a.m. from a local source.

At the end of 10.09.2012, we got news that electricity connection to 5
villages has been cut off. Reports say that phone lines many of the
villagers are being tapped in order to locate UdayaKumar and the struggle
commitee leaders.

Within hours of the police crackdown, protests across the fishing villages
across Southern Tamilnadu spread like wildfire. One fisherman, Anthony Samy
(40 years) was shot dead in Manappad village, Thoothukudi district. More
than 10,000 protestors staged a rail roko at Thoothukudi station delaying
the Mysore Express by more than 2 hours.

*Injuries, Arrests and Hospitalisations*

Many people were arrested at the seashore. Following are the names of some
of the people who were arrested:

Sundari; Xavier Amma; Selvi; Bedlin (Kootapuli); Lourdusamy; Rose

A journalist source reported to Dianuke.org that the DIG Rajesh Das had
told him that 25 people were arrested yesterday.

One child from Koodankulam was reportedly hit on the head by a tear gas
shell, and is said to be in a critical stage in the Tirunelveli Medical
College Hospital. At the time of writing (September 11. 10 a.m.), no
confirmation could be obtained about this incident.

The following is a list of people currently hospitalised at the Lourdu
Matha Hospital in Idinthakarai:

1. Gnanaprakasam, Male, 80

   1.

   David, M. 49. Idinthakarai
   2.

   Gloudin, M, 35, Idinthakarai
   3.

   Jeniker, M, 26, Idinthakarai
   4.

   Selvan, M, age not known, Idinthakarai
   5.

   Joseph, M, 47, village not known
   6.

   Michael, M, 28, Koothenkuli
   7.

   Valan, M, 23, Koothenkuli
   8.

   Thangasamy, M, age not known, Koodankulam
   9.

   Jeniker, M, 24, Idinthakarai
   10.

   Kennedy, M, 50, Idinthakarai
   11.

   Mahiban, M, 3, Idinthakarai
   12.

   Initha, F, age not known, Idinthakarai
   13.

   Chennammal, F, Idinthakarai
   14.

   Jesu Ammal, F, Idinthakarai

Three people hospitalised in Lourdu Matha Hospital, Idinthakarai, were
subsequently transferred by the police to a different location. But their
current whereabouts are not known. The three people are:

1. Selson, M, Idinthakarai

2. Siluvai John, M, Koothenkuli

3. Jesu, M, Idinthakarai


 Sahaya Initha


 *Anti- nuke activists arrested:* 3 anti- nuke activists Suseendaran,
Vivekanandan and Thirumurugan were arrested by the DC Saidapet when they
went to extend solidarity for the protesting students of Nandanam Arts and
Science College. They were released at around 7:30 p.m.

Tamil Nadu has a long tradition of using excessive force to quell protests
particularly by marginalised communities. In 1999, 17 dalit tea estate
workers were chased into the River Thamiraparani in Tirunelveli district by
a baton-charging police force which had descended to quell a strike
demanding better working conditions. Exactly a year ago, in Paramakudi, the
police violently broke up a dalit gathering to honour their leader Immanuel
Sekaran's, gave hot chase to fleeing people, and shot and killed six dalits
and injured more than 30.

*Solidarity Protests: *

Chennai:

   -

   Students from Nandanam Arts and Science College staged a lock-in at
   their campus .
   -

   Human Rights Protection Council staged a dharna at the Madras High Court.
   -

   Ma Kaa Ee ka, staged a protest at Panagal Malligai and news report say
   that 30 people were arrrested.
   -

   Manitha Neya Makkal Katchi staged a protest in Parry's Corner and news
   reports state that 300 were arrested.
   -

   Amidst heavy police presence, a dozen protestors submitted RTI
   applications at the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd's office in
   Egmore, Chennai, demanding information within 2 days because the matter
   concerns the lives and liberties of local residents.

Tiruchi:

   -

   Advocates protested at the TIruchi District Court campus.
   -

   Ma Kaa Ee Kaa staged a protest at Tiruchi Bus Station along with support
   groups.

Coimbatore:

   -

   Law college students staged a protest and were lathi charged and
   dispersed.

Kumbakonam:

   -

   Members of Naam Thamizhar blocked a road.

Thoothukudi:

   -

   Nearly 10,000 people, including a large number of fisherfolk, are
   reported to have staged a protest in front of the Lady of Snows Church in
   Thoothukudi. All nationalised banks pulled down their shutters in
   solidarity.
   -

   Protestors also staged a rail roko and blocked the Mysore express train.

Kanyakumari

   -

   Fishing boats observed a no-fishing day. The harbour is closed even
   today (11 September, 2012)

Manappad, Thoothukudi district

   -

   Fisherfolk rallied against police atrocities. One man shot dead.

Periyathazhai and Uvari, Thoothukudi district

   -

   Spontaneous protests by fisherfolk against police action

Tirunelveli

   -

   Naam Thamizhar and other supporters blockaded the main road near the
   Tirunelveli junction. About 40 protestors were detained and released in the
   evening.

New Delhi:

   -

   Koodankulam solidarity protest took place in front of the TamilNadu
   Bhavan, New Delhi.

Pune

   -

   Lokayat organised a protest.

Kerala

   - Protests took place at Calicut Public Libraray Near Mananchira
   - Protests took place at Thrissur Sahitya Academy
   - Protests took place at Kannur Near Bus Stand
   - Protests took place at Payyannoor Near Gandhi Park
   - Solidarity Protest at Trivandrum Secratariat Statue Sep 11th 11 am








-- 
"[It is not] possible to distinguish between 'numerical' and 'nonnumerical'
algorithms, as if numbers were somehow different from other kinds of
precise information." - Donald Knuth



-- 
"[It is not] possible to distinguish between 'numerical' and 'nonnumerical'
algorithms, as if numbers were somehow different from other kinds of
precise information." - Donald Knuth