The Peoples Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) is an anti-nuclear group from Tamil Nadu State, India.). PMANE's aim is to have the Koodankulam nuclear power plant closed down and as such preserve the coastal landscape. Thousands of protesters and villagers living around the KNPP site together with PMANE activists have been demonstrating against Tamil Nadu State government's plans to resume construction of the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project by staging hunger strikes, preventing further construction work, and demanding its full closure. Local residents, most in fishing communities, had initially protested against the Koodankulam nuclear power plant because they feared that nuclear waste pollution would affect their livelihood. On 19 March 2012, the Tamil Nadu government decided to resume the construction of the Koodankulam nuclear power plant. Police squads blocked every road leading to Koodankulam and Idinthakarai, the village 6km away from the Koodankulam nuclear power plant site to prevent people from gathering there. Nevertheless, over 20,000 people gathered at the gate of the Koodankulam site. In total 203 men and women were arrested, among them PMANE's legal advisor Mr. Sivasubramanian, and leading PMANE activists Mr. Rajalingam and Mr. R. S. Muhilan. They were charged with Sections 121 (waging war against the State), 121A (sedition) and 153A (promoting enmity between different groups) of the Indian Penal Code. They were detained at Tirunelveli armed reserve camp. The next day, the police continued to block access via roads and sea routes to Idinthakarai. Access of media to Idinthakarai was also prevented. Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (Cr. P.C ) which bans groups of people from gathering in public places was announced in and around Koodankulam. However, around 1,000 villagers gathered in an overnight vigil. The protestors were locals, mostly fishermen. At least 8,000 people went on a hunger strike in protest of the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project. On 21 March 2012, over 4,000 police personnel and four companies of Central Reserve Police Force's rapid action force were deployed to face the protesters. The police started to cut the power and water supplies, and restricted the movement of people and transportation of daily essentials, including milk for babies. In addition, police personnel forcibly took away mobiles phones and water supply equipments. On 23 March 2012, another youth organizer, Mr. Sathish Kumar was arrested at around 6.00pm and was charged with Sections 121 (waging war against the State), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups) of the Indian Penal Code. On 29 March 2012, a team of Central Government officials conducted a search at the office of South Asian Community Centre for Education and Research (SACCER) following allegations that the protesters had received funds from abroad to organise the agitations. Mr. Udhayakumar, convenor of PMANE is the director of SACCER. The team of officials also searched Mr. Udhayakumar's residence nearby and questioned his wife Meera regarding the activities of SACCER. On 2 April 2012, the Regional Passport office in Madurai 2 issued a notice to Mr. Udhayakumar asking him to surrender his passport as 98 criminal cases are pending against him. On 15 April 2012, the Idinthakarai panchayat (local government) president Ms. Sagaya Peklin Egecinec lodged a complaint against Mr. Udhayakumar, his associate M. Pushparayan and eight other PMANE activists. Police has registered the case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code including Section 307 (attempt to murder). Ms. Sagaya Peklin Egecinec alleges that a gang, "instigated by PMANE activists" had tried to attack her and her husband Sagayaraj on 14 April. On 25 April 2012, Mr. Sathish Kumar and Mr. R. S. Muhilan began an indefinite hunger strike in Tiruchirapalli prison. They demanded a fair trial, a stop of new charges being filed against them and the withdrawal of existing false charges against them. On 4 May, they ended their hunger strike. On 1 May 2012, about 25 men started an indefinite fast. There were joined by 302 women and 10 more from 4 May. On 11 May 2012, the hunger strikers decided to scale down the number of hunger. The organizers advised the older people and people with health concerns to terminate their strike and continued the indefinite hunger strike with some 102 men and women. Neither the Government of Tamil Nadu nor the Government of India invited them for talks or any kind of negotiations on the eleven demands that they had put forward. The local county administrator sent a medical team on 6 May and 7 May to check up on the strikers' health. On 11 May 2012, the police prepared a list of passport holders who are taking part in the peaceful protest against KNPP without police permission for the past nine months, to be submitted to the Office of Regional Passport Officer since cases are pending against them. Since participating in the agitations without police permission is an unlawful activity as per law, cases had been registered against them. On the same day, around 5.15pm, one of the PNAME Struggle Committee members, Mr. V. Rajalingam, was badly beaten up and verbally abused at near the East Bazaar of Koodankulam by Mr. Stanley Jones, Vallioor Deputy Superintendent of Police and Mr. Rajapaul, Inspector of Koodankulam police station. On 14 May 2012, a public hearing was organized by the __�Chennai Solidarity Group for Koodankulam Struggle' on the state action against anti-KNPP activists. The former chief justice of the Chennai high court, Justice A.P. Shah, led the public hearing into the claims of at least 180 protestors that they had faced false charges, including sedition and waging war against the State, and called for dialogue between the state authorities and the protestors. The judge also assured the protestors that he would take up the issue of filing of false charges with the National Human Rights Commission. On 15 May 2012, more than 330 protestors ended their hunger strike following a call from Justice A.P. Shah, former high court chief judge. On 4 June 2012, a report titled "Report of the Jury on Public Hearing on Kudankulam and State Suppression of Democratic Rights" was released following the public hearing on 14 May 2012. The jury alleged that the human rights of the protestors were violated in the way the Central and the State governments handled the protests at the site. The report found that people's right to freedom of speech and movement were restricted and that the state police was deployed to harass the protesters. The jury recommended that all cases against persons would be withdrawn as they are only exercising their legitimate right to protest. The report also recommended the immediate revocation of section 144 of Indian Penal Code. All arrested on 19 March 2012 were released within the next weeks, except for Mr. R. S. Muhilan and Mr. Sathish Kumar who were finally released on bail on 11 June 2012 after several attempt of bail petition. The charge has not been dropped against them and police has filed cases against hundreds of unnamed persons to threaten the protesters of probable arrests.