The Adani Group has approached the Kerala High Court seeking deployment of central forces to maintain security at the Vizhinjam seaport in Thiruvananthapuram, where several protests have halted construction work. Law live reported.
Justice Anu Sivaraman, who was hearing Adani Group’s plea against obstruction and blockades due to protests, asked the state and Union governments to discuss the possibility of deploying central forces. They have been ordered to respond by December 7.
A large number of fishermen, under the auspices of the Latin Catholic Diocese of Thiruvananthapuram, have been protesting for the past few months against the Rs 7,500-crore project spearheaded by billionaire Gautam Adani’s port business. They claim the project is causing coastal erosion and affecting their livelihoods.
The protest turned violent on Saturday after demonstrators prevented the Adani Group from resuming construction on the site, which had been halted for the past four months. The construction of the port was resumed on the directions of the Kerala High Court.
A first information report was registered on Sunday against Thiruvananthapuram Archbishop Thomas Neto, Auxiliary Bishop R. Christudas and 13 other Latin Catholic priests in connection with Saturday’s violence.
The fishing community also claimed that the police arrested five men.
On Friday, the state government informed the court about the registered cases and arrests, PTI reported.
However, Adani Group’s lawyer claimed that many accused in the case, including many priests, are still at the protest site.
The group also described the police investigation into the case as a farce.
Agitators are victims of development: Congress
The Congress on Friday said the Vizhinjam agitators were “victims of development” and alleged that there was a conspiracy between the Adani port authorities and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to isolate them from the public, PTI reported.
Leader of Opposition in Kerala Assembly VD Satheesan said four ministers had alleged links with terrorists against the anti-seaport movement.
The Congress also said that by talking about terror links and booking priests, the government intends to provoke the local fishing community and thereby give the Adani Group the upper hand in the case pending before the Supreme Court.
The ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) rejected the allegations and said no one had objected to the pro-democracy protests and that the objections were only to violent incidents, including the attack on a police station, PTI reported.