Srikakulam, February 26: The fishermen of Santabommali mandal, who have been protesting against the setting up of a thermal power plant in the mandal, today fought a pitched battle with police leading to tension in the village. About 15 villagers and a couple of policemen were injured in the clashes.
Reminding the clashes between villagers of Sompeta and police in the district sometime ago, the villagers attacked the police personnel with sticks and the latter retaliated by firing tear gas shells.
People of Vadditandra village have been staging relay hunger strikes for the past 195 days while those of Hanumantunaidu Peta have been on a noncooperation movement for one month protesting against the setting up of a 2,640 MW thermal power plant by the East Coast Energy Private Limited in the mandal.
According to reports, trouble started in the afternoon when the police forced their way into the 150odd houses in Vadditandra, dragged the inmates out and thrashed men and women, irrespective of their age.
The police were allegedly trying to evacuate the fishermen village, which was half a km away from the project site, anticipating trouble from the villagers during unloading of the plant equipment which was expected to arrive in two days.
The villagers largely remained indoors since the morning as Sec 144 was in force and leaders of Bhavanapadu Thermal Plant Vyatireka Samithi, who were fighting against the thermal plant, including M Narasinga Rao, Ramireddy, Kutro and D Srinivas, were house arrested.
However, police, suspecting that trouble could be brewing, broke open the doors of houses and either arrested the villagers or drove them away.
The villagers then gathered at a local school ground and took on the police collectively. They beat up the police with sticks prompting the forces to lob three rounds of tear gas.
Led by superintendent of police KVV Gopala Rao, forces demolished the tents erected by the protestors in both villages. Several villagers were arrested and shifted from the venues.
Nearly 15 villagers and a couple of policemen were injured in the clashes and were shifted to nearby government hospitals. The condition of the injured is said to be stable.
The SP said they had to use force as the situation turned violent. He said prohibitory orders would be in force till March 10 and all steps would be taken to ensure that the power company goes ahead with the proposed plant and its vehicles are not stopped by the villagers.
A heavy deployment of forces has been made on the route right from Santabommali to the site and from Tekkali on the alternative route to the site.
Police stopped the vehicular traffic on the route today morning for sometime.
Police reportedly entered another fishermendominated village, Akasa Lakkavaram, but the situation is said to be peaceful there till reports came in last.
HRF demands withdrawal of forces from villages
The Human Rights Forum (HRF) has demanded immediate withdrawal of police forces from Vadditandra village and scrapping of environmental clearance accorded to the ECEPL for setting up the power plant.
It condemned the removal of the hunger strike camp and lathicharge and arrest of villagers protesting against the setting up of the thermal power plant in Kakarapalli swamp by the East Coast Energy Pvt LTd.
In a statement here today, president and general secretary of the HRF S Jeevan Kumar and VS Krishna respectively said the plant was being constructed on wetland disregarding all environmental norms.
Though the Bombay Natural History Society had confirmed the socio- ecological importance of this wetland and it had been revealed that clearances were obtained by the company by concealing facts, the government, instead of acting against the company, was trying to suppress a peaceful movement, they alleged.
–Agencies