To keep protest alive,villagers stop leaders from courting arrest

Lending credence to the rumours,hundreds of police personnel led by Thirunelveli Superintendent Vijayendra S Bidari went from house to house in neighbouring Koodanulam village and detained a few persons.

In the midst of the tension,the convener of People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE),the umbrella organisation leading the agitation,S P Udayakumar,announced that four of the leaders including himself,M Pushparayan,M P Jesuraj and Mukilan would court arrest by 9 am at Koodankulam police station to prevent authorities from acting against the villagers.

Second-rung leaders said the plan was to court arrest in the presence of a national leader — anti-corruption activist Arvind Kejriwal was to be present at the time of arrest.

This decision spread confusion among hundreds of villagers — including fishermen,housewives,beedi rollers and children — who gathered in front of the St Lourdes Mary Church for the 393rd day on Tuesday. Almost all of them opposed the plan,fearing that it could mean the end of the agitation if these leaders are not there to decide strategies as they have been doing for over a year.

Meanwhile,over 300 special task force police personnel camped just outside the village boundaries on the sea side added to the panic of the villagers,few of whom kept vigil few hundred metres away from where the policemen stood.

A little past 4 pm,Udayakumar reached the protest venue. He and other leaders were taken away on boats by the fishermen on Monday to ensure they were not hurt in the clash with the police. “We have decided to court arrest because the police have been torturing innocent villagers under the guise of searching for five personnel who allegedly went missing during the clash,” he said.

Udayakumar said he was proud to face the consequences of standing with the public over an issue of their survival: “We have shown that even the common man can stand up to the mighty on important issues. People at Koodankulam and its surroundings are now aware of the issues connected with the plant. This is a victory for us.”

“The authorities are terrorising the people,” charged Pushparayan,contending that the protesting villagers have not done any crime other than staging a protest in a democratic manner. The leaders said there has not been even one incident of violence till Monday,which they alleged was orchestrated by the police.

A little later,Udayakumar began addressing the protesters in an effort to explain their decision to court arrest. The people were visibly upset over the decision — men were evidently crestfallen while women were seen crying. At this point,Udayakumar referred to the allegations that the protesters received money from abroad,a charge first raised by Union minister V Narayanasami and even Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,who blamed foreign hand behind the protest,and most recently by Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde.

An emotionally charged Udayakumar said he had not received a penny from anywhere to stage the protests and broke down,which pushed the crowd into a frenzy.

The women first rushed to him and Pushparayan,pleading them not to surrender. The more able-bodied youths soon followed them,lifted the leaders and carried them to the shore. They were taken on boats to the outer sea to ensure that they do not surrender as planned. All this happened in such a short time that the media personnel from across the country who were present just a few feet away from the stage were caught unawares.

There is now an uncertainty over the next course of action. One of the leaders,Jesuraj,said the villagers have now taken over the course of the protest and it was now upon them to decide the future plan.