Thoothukudi: Scandalous video of anti-Sterlite activists creates outrage
Thoothukudi: The anti-Sterlite movement in Thoothukudi has taken a beating following the leakage of a scandalous sex video involving two of its prominent activists.
One of the personalities figured in that video, allegedly leaked by a NGO ‘Makkal Athikaram’ cadre and going viral in social media is the popular woman environmentalist-Prof Fathima Babu and her partner-Thermal Raja, who too is an active member of the year-long protest.
The video is alleged to have been secretly recorded, when the two were staying in a star hotel in Chennai, where they visited a few weeks to present their side of the case against the private copper major before Justice Tharun Agarwal commission constituted by the National Green Tribunal to look into the complaints against Sterlite.
Though a few supporters of the lady activists suspected the hands of the private company against which Fathima Babu has been fighting for long years, they refused to disclose their identity, as according to an anti-Sterlite activist the issue was very sensitive and the full truth is not known. Neither of the persons featured in the video have denied the allegation so far.
The ‘Makkal Athikaram’ group that was said to have leaked the video too was not available for comments, either in support of or against the woman activist. The anti-Sterlite lawyers group, however, made it public to distance themselves from the two activists.
A section of fishermen, whom the lady professor represented in all the projects right from Sethusamudram or the Kudankulam or the Colachel container transhipment terminal in the southern districts led by their former corporation councillor, Golden, staged a demonstration in front of the woman activist’s house at Thoothukudi. The fishermen leader Golden said, “we regarded her as a great lady even when allegations were spread against her. But now we feel ashamed of her.”
It may be recalled that just a day before the police firing on the anti-Sterlite protestors in Thoothukudi, the ‘Makkal Athikaram’ leaders pre-convened an urgent press meet at Pandarampatti village and announced the removal of Fathima Babu from the struggle committee. The video leak is hence suspected to be result of internal fight among anti-Sterlite activists. The state coordinator of ‘Makkal Adhikaram’, Kaliyappan, however, in a release here on Wednesday denied their hand in the issue and said that this might be the handy work of Sterlite to create rift among the activists.
