PEOPLE’S UNION FOR CIVIL LIBERTIES
  270-A, Patpar Ganj, Opposite Anand Lok Apartments (Gate No. 2), Mayur Vihar-I, Delhi 110 091

Phone: (011) 2275 0014                      PP FAX: (011) 4215 1459

Founder: Jayaprakash Narayan; Founding President: V M Tarkunde

President: Prabhakar Sinha. General Secretary: Pushkar Raj. Treasurer: Ajit Jha.
Vice-Presidents: (all names in alphabetic order) Binayak Sen (Chhattisgarh); Ravi Kiran Jain (Uttar Pradesh); Sanjay Parikh (Delhi); Sudha Ramalingam (Ms) (Tamil Nadu & Puducherry). Secretaries: Chitaranjan Singh (Uttar Pradesh); Kavita Srivastava (Ms) (Rajasthan); Mahi Pal Singh (Delhi); V. Suresh (Tamil Nadu & Puducherry).

E.mails: <puclnat@gmail.com> & <puclnat@yahoo.com>  Please visit PUCL website at <www.pucl.org>

Press statement                                                                              February 1, 2012

CONDEMNING VIOLENCE AGAINST

KUDANKULAM NUCLEAR POWER PLANT PROTESTORS

People’s Union for Civil Liberties is shocked at the incidence of brutal violence, on

31-1-2012, at Tirunelveli, against people’s representatives of PMANE (People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy), including twenty women, opposing the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP), by  democratic and peaceful means, to preserve their right to life, livelihood and safe environment. The attack was reportedly carried out by local thugs, members of Hindu Munnani and the local Congress. It occurred just prior to a scheduled fourth meeting between representatives of PMANE and members of the Central Government Expert Panel on KKNPP.

What makes this attack particularly vile and reprehensible, is that it occurred in the premises of Tirunelveli Collectorate, while the collector was present in his chambers, and in presence of police force, thereby making both effectively complicit to this attack.

PUCL condemns all forms of violence, in particular, violence which scuttle democratic processes by the State, in a variety of ways, especially by the use of violence – direct, sponsored or tacitly supported.

PUCL demands strictest action to be taken against all individuals and groups charged with direct violence.  Disciplinary action must also be taken against all police officers present, who, in a dereliction of duty, did not sufficiently safeguard PMANE members from physical harm against hooliganism on government premises. District Collector , R Selvaraj, as the Chief Executive of the District Administration, must accept final responsibility for this grievous incidence, occurring within his jurisdiction and in his office premises.

Sd./-

Pushkar Raj

General Secretary