PMANE convenor Udayakumar not to surrender. KOODANKULAM (TN), 12 SEPT: As tension simmered, security forces today sealed almost the entire town housing the atomic power plant with anti-nuclear movement leader Mr S P Udayakumar remaining elusive after a somersault on his surrender offer. Koodankulam, the hotbed of the over year-long protests which turned violent on Monday, has almost been sealed by armed policemen who took positions at important places, especially around the KNPP site, allowing transportation of only essential commodities while clamping down on strangers. Police said they were checking vehicles and sealed areas around the nuclear plant as shops in nearby Idinthakarai and some other areas remained closed for the third day today. Bus services remained off roads in and around Koodankulam. Inspector General of Police Rajeshi Dass told reporters that police were searching for Mr Udayakumar and several others in connection with the Monday's violence. The stepped up security came as the KNPP officials continued to make preparations for loading enriched uranium into the first reactor, which according to plant sources was expected to start in the next few days. The current bout of intensified protests, including the failed bid to lay siege to the plant, was launched by People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy to prevent loading of fuel for which regulatory authorities gave the approval recently. A day after PMANE convener Udayakumar made a dramatic appearance and announced he would turn up before police last night, anti-corruption activist Arvind Kejriwal today announced he would not surrender. Shortly after he made the surrender announcement even while police were on the lookout for him, Mr Udayakumar was whisked away in a boat by his supporters who rejected his offer. “I met Udayakumar in the morning and requested him not to surrender. He should use all legal remedies... it is extremely important that he remains outside and should not offer himself to police. He is convinced and he agreed,” Mr Arvind Kejriwal, who has backed the anti-KNPP movement, told reporters. Mr Kejriwal, a member of the disbanded Team Anna, also attacked the UPA at the Centre and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Jayalalithaa for the police action against the protesters and “harassing” locals, who are up in arms against the project. The agitators today ended their 48-hour relay fast to protest the police action which saw them resorting to lathi-charge, lobbing tear gas shells and conducting house-to-house searches. Though the fast was to continue till this evening, they gave it up following a request by Mr Kejriwal. MDMK chief Vaiko today visited the protest venue at Idinthakarai to express his solidarity with the protesters. Meanwhile, police charged the PMANE with using people as human shields and said they were determined to arrest Mr Udayakumar. Tirunelveli District Superintendent of Police Vijayendra Bidari accused Mr Udayakumar and his group of “spreading lies and rumours” to mobilise people and indulge in violence. He said steps had been intensified to arrest those responsible for the violence on Monday. However, Mr Udayakumar was quoted by sources close to him as having denied the charge. The anti-KNPP protest had turned violent on Monday and spread to other areas, including neighbouring Tuticorin district where a fishermen was killed in police firing. Meanwhile, two PIL petitions filed in Madurai Bench of Madras High Court seeking a direction to the authorities to put an end to “police excesses” against anti-KNPP protesters and to take constructive steps to bring normalcy in the village were posted to another bench for hearing tomorrow. Mr A Marx, state convenor of People's Union for Human Rights, in his petition, said police resorted to firing when there was no provocation on part of the public and this led to the death of an innocent fisherman in Tuticorin district. Anti-nuke stir: Jaya slammed for using police force CHENNAI, 12 SEPT: Slamming Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Miss J Jayalalithaa government for using police force against anti-nuclear protesters in Koodankulam, DMK President Mr M Karunanidhi today said the Centre and state should immediately initiate dialogue with the protesters' leaders to find an amicable solution. Squarely blaming his arch rival AIADMK supremo Miss Jayalalithaa for the present situation, he said her government initially “encouraged” the protesters but was now trying to suppress them, aggravating the situation. Miss Jayalalithaa's refusal to talk to the representatives of the protesters was an “unpardonable” mistake and the Centre and state governments should invite them for a dialogue, he said in a statement two days after the protest against the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant turned violent. Citing People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy leader S P Udayakumar's remarks that the protesters had been let down by the chief minister, Mr Karunanidhi said, “This shows how the protest has escalated to this level.” Mr Karunanidhi, whose party is a key ally of UPA, also criticised state Congress chief B S Gnanadesikan's comments that people should not fall prey to “false” propaganda of the protesters on the safety of the project. pti