Koodankulam: Amirtharaj Stephen’s Documentation of the Protests
In 2001, the construction of Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP), the largest in India, began in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. While protests had been ongoing since the 1980s, they intensified when images of the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster made the international headlines. Amirtharaj Stephen’s set of photographs titled Koodankulam: In My Backyard documents these protests by the local community against the Indian and Russian Governments' commissioning of the power plant.
Children carry postcards for the Russian Ambassador requesting Russia to stop supporting the nuclear project. (Koodankulam, 6 August 2012. Koodankulam: In My Backyard. Image courtesy of the artist and Pep Collective.)
Stephen recounts in a blog post that initially the residents did not have much to say about the construction as they believed that nuclear energy was "safe." However, in 2011, when Japan was struck by the tsunami and the resultant Fukushima Nuclear Disaster, there was a change in this disposition. Panic set in—especially among the survivors of the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean—but the government did little to help overcome the fear and anxiety. The official response remained ambiguous and lacked preparedness and transparency.
Protestors braved chilly temperatures sleeping at the beach, unaware of the attack planned by the police the following morning. (Koodankulam, 9 September 2012. Koodankulam: In My Backyard. Image courtesy of the artist and Pep Collective.)
Women weep and pray at their church after the police attacked protesting villagers. (Koodankulam, 11 September 2012. Koodankulam: In My Backyard. Image courtesy of the artist and Pep Collective.)
On 10 September 2012, people from four villages in Tamil Nadu arrived to protest at the beaches of Idinthakarai, a village in the Tirunelveli district. While uranium fuel was being filled in the plant to make the nuclear reactors functional, thousands came out to march against it. On the day of the protest, a crowd of protestors, mostly women, were attacked with tear gas. The police then opened fire leading to one death, while sixty-six were arrested. Many others were booked on charges of sedition. The protestors have repeatedly been subjected to violence by the government forces. Since then, the Koodankulam issue has been central to the debate on nuclear energy in India.
Sahayam Francis being mourned by his family. He was killed when a low-flying Indian Coast Guard plane startled him, causing him to fall off the boulder he was standing on. (Koodankulam, 17 September 2012. Koodankulam: In My Backyard. Image courtesy of the artist and Pep Collective.)
Stephen observed the political bias in the media and documented the struggle as objectively as he could. He amplified the concerns of the people through his images. He also raised questions on the human-rights violations and the democratic philosophies on which the country was built.
Despite the unrest, the KNPP plant has been functional since 2013. The fishing community, which has been leading the protests, has continued its struggle for almost two decades under the threat of being arrested and jailed. Protestors claim that the plant’s effluent is releasing toxins and impacting the quality of fish. According to reports, almost 10,000 people living around the plant fear displacement.
Fishermen auction their catch to collect tax in order to run the protests. One-tenth of a day’s revenue is collected each week. (Koodankulam, 18 October 2012. Koodankulam: In My Backyard. Image courtesy of the artist and Pep Collective.)
All images by Amirtharaj Stephen.
