Kerala, archbishop denounced for Vizhinjam port clashes
Archbishop Netto, the prelate of Thiruvananthapuram, has been charged along with some of his priests by the police as the 'organiser' of the protests that erupted into violence after some Adani group trucks tried to force a blockade and enter the construction site. The local Church - which is calling for an independent investigation - stands by the fishermen against the project of a large international port of call that is likely to have a serious impact on the environment.
Thiruvananthapuram (AsiaNews) - The Kerala police have registered a complaint against the archbishop of Thiruvananthapuram, Msgr Thomas J. Netto, and a group of other Latin-rite priests for the violence that broke out between Saturday and Sunday around the disputed building site of the new international port of Vizhinjam.
Local fishermen - supported by the Catholic Church - have been protesting the project for months because they denounce that it will make their work impossible as well as cause serious environmental damage to the affected coastal area.
The incidents began on Saturday when a convoy of trucks carrying large stones to the port construction site tried to force a blockade set up by the protesters. The vehicles were stormed by the opponents. At the same time, however, other groups of people in favour of the project poured into the area, further aggravating the clashes. The police made numerous arrests among the fishermen to which the protesters responded on Sunday with a further assault on the Vizinjam police station. The toll was several vehicles damaged and 29 people injured, mostly among public security officers.
The archdiocese has called for an independent investigation into the incidents that provoked the violence. Vicar General Yujin Pereria accused the government of masterminding the clashes. "It was a conspiracy to weaken the fishermen's protest against the port," he accused. Both the government and Adani (Modi's businessman friend who won the concession for the project, ed.) worked hand in hand to foment the violence. The fishermen only responded at the last moment in the face of continuous provocations'.
Meanwhile, the Cochi High Court will hear a petition filed by Adani against the blockade of protesters preventing the resumption of port work. But the archdiocese has also appealed against the verdict of the court that authorised the construction in August.
The Minister of Ports, Ahamed Devarkovil, accused the Church of communitising the protest. He reiterated that the port project cannot be blocked and that the government has accepted five of the seven demands made by the protesters. But the main demand is that the over 75 million rupee (almost 900 ila euro ed) project be stopped at least until a serious study on its environmental impact is presented.
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