Violence erupts in NLC protest, former Union Minister Detained

A picketing agitation by Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) party members, protesting against the acquisition of farmlands by Neyveli Lignite Corporation, turned violent on Friday after police detained their party leader, Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss, for attempting to enter the company’s premises at the Arch gate.
Scores of PMK cadres swarmed in front of the police vehicle in a bid to prevent Anbumani, a former union minister, from being taken away by the police. The situation turned out of control when instead of heeding police advice to disperse, a section of the party members allegedly pelted stones injuring a police inspector, a senior police official said.
As they continued to relentlessly agitate, the police had to spray water cannons, fire tear gas shells and use mild force to disperse them, a senior police official said. A huge crowd had gathered for the protest, at which there was also a demand to NLCIL to give up its expansion plans.
The gathering also condemned the state government for acquiring wetlands for the enterprise. The cadres, incensed over the detention of their leader reportedly damaged a police vehicle.
Anbumani, however, claimed the protest was held in a peaceful manner and that some of his party members were injured when police resorted to a baton charge. After addressing the party members, Anbumani accompanied by his supporters tried to enter NLC but was stopped by the police.
This led to a scuffle between the crowd and the police. Farmers in the district have been agitating for the past few days when earth movers were employed to destroy the standing paddy crop on the fields meant to be acquired for NLC. A senior official at the Navaratna company, however, claimed that no new land was being acquired at present and that the company was only involved in canal diversion work to prevent inundation in NLC’s mines.
On Wednesday, amidst protests by farmers and some political parties, the NLC took up construction of an alternative canal for the Paravanaru River in Bhuvanagiri taluk, with sufficient police protection, to safeguard its mines from flooding during monsoon.