Anti-nuke plant activist Udayakumar told to surrender passport

The regional passport office in Madurai has issued a notice to S P Udayakumar, convenor of a movement spearheading the stir against Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, asking him to surrender his passport within 15 days.

The letter from the Madurai (south) region passport office asked him to surrender his passport within that period as 98 criminal cases are pending against him. If he fails to do so within that period, the document would be impounded.

Talking to reporters, Udayakumar, convener of People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy, alleged that officials are selective in impounding passports.

But the office refuted the charge, pointing out that passports of even politicians had been impounded.

Udayakumar said he had sent a legal notice to the officer concerned. He added that he was entitled to have a passport for identification and he would not surrender it.