Initiate dialogue with protesters: Aruna

Noted social activist and member of Sonia Gandhi led National Advisory Council (NAC) Aruna Roy on Wednesday asked the government to initiate dialogue with the anti-nuke protesters and put a moratorium on nuclear reactor at Kudnakulam.

Addressing a press conference,  Roy and Collision for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace(CNDP) activist Prafull Bidwai condemned the police action in Koodankulam and alleged  that the police triggered the violence even as the people were totally peaceful.
 
"Government has no business in clamping down on protests.  Such actions threaten the very fundamentals of democracy,” Roy said. She dismissed allegations that the protest is foreign funded. She said you can run a small school or a leprosy institute on foreign fund, not a big movement like this.

 “We are shocked at the pictures coming from the area, which show police and paramilitary forces literally driving people into the sea. Reliable reports state that, on 10 September, the police invaded the villages of Idinthikari, terrorized its people and desecrated places of worship,” they said in a statement.

Roy alleged role of an Inspector General of police in unleashing violence.