Members of National Alliance of People's Movements, Andhra Pradesh chapter on Friday sought the intervention of the State Human Rights Commission to stop mass arrests of people for staging peaceful protests against the construction of a 2400-MW thermal power plant in Srikakulam district. The petition submitted by the joint convener of NAPM, Saraswati Kavula, stated that the police had resorted to illegal arrests. The farmers were staging a peaceful protest against the power plant when police, without any warning, opened fire, causing injuries to eight persons. The thermal power plant is an undertaking of East Coast Energy Private Limited in Naupada wetland at Kakrapalli village of Srikakulam district. The farmers have been demanding a halt to the construction of the power plant since August 2010 by using peaceful methods like relay hunger strike, as they fear that the project would deprive thousands of local fishermen and farmers of their livelihood. Demanding an independent investigation into the incident, the petitioner sought withdrawal of the police from the area with immediate effect.
The SHRC sought a report from the deputy inspector general of police, Visakhapatanam, and the superintendent of police, Srikakulam, on the incident by March 3.
