Daijiworld News Network – Udupi/Padubidri (GA/VM)
Pics – RK Durga Digitals

Udupi, Jan 9: The nineteenth day of protest against setting up of Nagarjuna thermal plant at Nandikur turned violent when some of the protestors damaged two vehicles on Tuesday January 9.

The protest was led by local Yuva Shakti movement.  Though there used to be 200-300 persons for any protests in the region, on Tuesday more than 1,500 persons participated in the agitation.  Majority them were high school and college students of the region. 

The protest march started from Padubidri temple and proceeded to the construction site.  On their way, the agitators blocked the highway for about 10 minutes and did not allow any of the vehicles to pass through.

At this point one of the lorry drivers protested and tried to go ahead.  He was immediately stopped by the students. Some of them even pelted stones at the lorry and damaged it to a large extent.

In the afternoon a vehicle belonging to Nagarjuna company passed through the mob.  But on the way it brushed a student slightly and injured him.  Enraged by this, the mob attacked the vehicle and damaged it before assaulting the driver Abdul Hameed Thokkottu and co-passenger Manjunath Lingayya. 

Meanwhile the injured student Sharat Padebettu received treatment as an outpatient filed a complaint with the police against the driver who in turn was arrested.  On the other hand, Manjunath Lingayya filed a case on 15 students for assaulting him and damaging the vehicle.  Four protestors were taken into custody in this regard later.

However, the agitators said that arrests were done even before the complaint was lodged and alleged that police was hand-in-glove with Nagarjuna.

With MP and MLA intervening the police released the protestors.  The protest was led by Yuva Shakti leaders Shanti Prasad Hegde, Harish Kumar and Lakshman Shetty etc.