The student community of Kadiramangalam joined hands with womenfolk in taking out a silent march in the village on Monday to condemn the police action against agitators and press for the release of those who were arrested for supporting their cause.
The villagers have been protesting against the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), alleging that its operations have led to depletion of groundwater levels and contamination of their water.
Shops remained shut for the third consecutive day on Monday as a mark of protest, but the silver lining was the authorities’ decision to reduce the police presence in the village, in a bid to placate its inhabitants.
“Rather than addressing our anxieties and fears, the officials are merely viewing us as protesters. We want the police to release all those who were arrested on false charges for supporting us. That is why we women, along with school and college students from our village, boycotted classes and are taking out a silent march,” said B. Divya and K. Mayiyammal of Kadiramangalam.
At Karupatti street, protesters raised slogans denouncing the ONGC and demanding that the firm leave the village for good.
Meanwhile, ONGC personnel arrived at the site of a recent oil spill and carried out maintenance work to plug the leak. They also replaced the damaged pipeline, even as the police secured the area.
Amid mounting public disquiet over the continued presence of a huge posse of police in the village, the officials withdrew most of the personnel, leaving only around 50 of them to protect the oil well and the surrounding area.
However, some sections of the villagers said that they remained firm in not agreeing to any talks with the officials without securing the release of the nine persons, led by the Anti-Methane Project Federation coordinator Jayaraman, who were arrested “on false charges” for supporting their cause. They must be released unconditionally, and until then, the peaceful protest will continue, the villagers said.
In Thanjavur, P.R. Pandian, coordinator of the Federation of Tamil Nadu Farmers Associations, presented a memorandum to Collector A. Annadurai, demanding an end to all ONGC activities in the region. He alleged that oil exploration was being carried out in violation of the relevant Supreme Court orders and against the wishes of the people.
