Rival fishermen groups clash with country bombs;houses damaged

Violence rocked coastal hamlet of Idinthakarai near Kudankulam in the district today when two groups of fishermen clashed with country bombs, damaging some houses, police said.
As many as 18 country bombs were hurled at each other by the clashing groups, but none was injured, Valliyoor Deputy Superintendent of Police Balaji said.
Two houses were damaged in the violence, he said.
Today's clash was a sequel to previous enmity between one group led by Idinthikarai village committee President, Augustine and the rival group led by Kapoor, a contract labour of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP), police said.
Idinthakarai is the epicentre of anti-nuclear agitation demanding closure of the Indo-Russian joint venture KNPP on safety grounds for the last three years.

Similar clashes involving use of country bombs had been reported in the town even before the KNPP was set up.
In November last year, eight persons were killed when a country bomb being made in a hut by some persons exploded accidentally in Tsunami colony in Idinthakarai.