"Oh! Could something like this happen here?" Photo/BBC

On 31 January 2012, six representatives of the People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) and 15 of their supporters were attacked and had stones thrown at them in the Tirunelveli District of Tamil Nadu State.

The representatives, Mr M. Pushparayan, Mr M P Jesuraj, Mr Mypa, Mr Sivasubramaniyan, Mr Rajalingam and PMANE Co-ordinator Mr S. P. Udayakumarthey, made their way to talks with government-appointed experts to discuss the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP).

PMANE is an anti-nuclear power group that works to protect the local people from the effects of the development and operation of the KNPP. It also fights to protect the coastal landscape, and educates locals about nuclear power.

On 31 January 2011, M. Pushparayan, M P Jesuraj, Mypa, Sivasubramaniyan, Rajalingam and S. P. Udayakumar and 15 women accompanying them were attacked by hired assailants near the Tirunelveli collectorate as they were on their way to attend talks with a Central Government Expert Panel. The group of human rights defenders had stones thrown at them and are currently in hospital as a result of the injuries they received. Following the attack, PMANE has decided to boycott the discussions as they suspect that the assailants were employed by local Congress leaders.

The talks, scheduled to take place at the District Collector's Office in Tirunelvelli at 11 am, were the fourth round of similar discussions between the expert panel and those who oppose the nuclear plant project. The previous talks were held on 7 November, 18 November and 15 December 2011, however no progress was made between the parties. PMANE has stated that it has no faith in the talks, as the expert panel failed to answer questions which PMANE had asked and failed to furnish documents which the human rights defenders had requested. Local people have been protesting against the nuclear power plant since the 1980s when the Indian government signed a $3.5 billion agreement with Russia to build a nuclear power plant at Koodankulam. However, as the operation date for the power plant approaches, the opposition against the plant has grown stronger.

Front Line Defenders believes that the attack on the representatives of PMANE and their supporters is directly linked to their human rights activities, in particular their work in protecting and educating the local people in relation to the nuclear power plant at Koodankulam.