ALL INDIA CHRISTIAN COUNCIL
Secretary General Dr John Dayal
PRESS STATEMENT
NEW DELHI, 11 SEPTEMBER 2012
All India Christian Council condemns police brutality on children and women protestors at Koodankulam, Tamil Nadu; demands civic amenities for villagers
The All India Christian Council [AICC] expresses its shock and distress at the police brutality on children, women and men, who were protesting the fuelling of the nuclear plant at Koodankulam, Tamil Nadu which they fear will put not just them but future generations at grave risk.
The AICC condemns the police lathi [staves] charge, tear gassing on the people, pushing many of them into the rough sea, and killing at least one fisherman.
According to eye witnesses and video evidence, when the protest was still on at the seashore, the police in large numbers entered Idinthakarai village which had only the elderly people, and young They searched every house, and reportedly also entered the Church and vandalised the statue of Lord Matha. The local media was not spared the police brutality. There is no water and electricity in the village and the children and elderly people are in a panic.
The AICC calls upon the Union and State government, and the Madras High Court, to intervene urgently and order the police to cease its operations. The Madras High Court should issue suo motto orders to the Tamil Nadu Police to ensure uninterrupted access to basic amenities like electricity, food, milk and water for the villagers who are cut off from the rest of the world because of a stringent enforcement of prohibitory orders by the police.
The State government should call the leaders of the agitation for talks instead of unleashing state force on the popular movement. The AICC also urges civil society in Tamil Nadu and the country to intervene urgently in the matter.