NEW DELHI – Hundreds of demonstrators were detained in southern India on Monday as they tried to blockade a regional assembly in protest against a nuclear plant under construction, officials said.
Safety concerns have prompted local villagers and fishermen to stage protests over the past year against the Kudankulam power plant, which is being built with Russian assistance.
The campaign gained momentum after the nuclear plant in Fukushima, Japan, began leaking radiation after an earthquake and tsunami last year. Kudankulam is located on the coast of southern state Tamil Nadu.
About 2,000 people, including many members of regional political parties, were stopped by police three miles from the state assembly in state capital Chennai, broadcaster NDTV reported.
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