Uddhav to visit Jaitapur firing victim’s kin

The Sena has upped the ante against the nuclear power park coming up in Jaitapur and declared that it will not allow the project to come up against the wishes of people.

Thackeray had,two weeks ago, visited the region and held a public rally in Mithgavane village. Two days later,Sena MLA Rajan Salvi was arrested for trying to enter the nuclear power project site premises. The same day,fishermen from Sakhri Nate village had attacked a police station when police opened fire,leaving Sayekar dead and seven others injured. Villagers continued their protest in Ratnagiri city the next day,demanding action against police personnel involved in the firing before taking possession of Sayekar’s body.

Anti-nuclear groups,meanwhile,began a protest march from Tarapur,the location of the oldest nuclear power station in the country,on Saturday. After the rally,speakers at the function including former HC Justice BG Kolse-Patil and activist Vaishali Patil were detained by the police and not permitted to proceed to their next destination in Thane.

“The public rally was conducted peacefully in Tarapur on Saturday. The police did not stop us. The speakers at the rally have been detained in Tarapur. Anticipating this,some of us had left for Thane earlier. We are determined to continue our march,” said Satyajeet Chavan of the Konkan Bachao Samiti.

The groups are travelling from Thane and Panvel to Ratnagiri to garner public support against the Jaitapur. project. Over 50 groups from across the country are participating in the march,which is expected to end in Sakhri Nate on Monday. Activists protesting against the nuclear projects in Mithivardi in Gujarat,Haripur in West Bengal and Gorakhpur in Haryana are also expected to participate. Environmentalists Vandana Shiva and Praful Bidwai and documentary filmmaker Anand Patwardhan are also expected to join the march.