Villagers to submit petition to NHRC on lathicharge

Puducherry, Apr 15 (UNI) Thengaithittu villagers, who were lathicharged by the police on Friday, have decided to submit a memorandum to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and also move the court.

A decision to this effect was taken after a three-member advocate team from Madras High Court led by P Rathinam, visited the village and listened to the versions of the affected people. Affidavits were also collected from those injured in the lathicharge by the team.

The villagers decided to organise a dharna in front of the legislative assembly here tomorrow to press the government to permanently drop the Port Development Project (PDP).

Earlier, the Peoples' Protection Committee, spearheading the agitation against the PDP and the committee opposing land acquisition for the port project at Thengaithittu reiterated their demand for a judicial probe into the lathicharge.

In a resolution adopted at a meeting here last evening, they sought action against the police personnel involved in the canning of people and adequate compensation to the affected.

The villagers of Thengaithittu on April 13 took out a mock funeral procession placing the effigy of Port Minister E Valsaraj on the ''paadai' and smashed the windscreen of a government bus.

They also burnt the effigy of Valsaraj at Marappalam junction, following which, police resorted to lathicharge, injuring a few people. In the melee, three police personnel were also injured.

UNI