Hundreds of anti-nuclear protesters forming a human chain stood in sea waters for the second day today demanding halting of preparations for fuel loading into the Kudankulam nuclear reactor. “Women and men will stand in the sea waters for two hours in turns,” Pushparayan, leader of the Peoples Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE), spearheading the year-long agitation, told reporters here. The police here said Satishkumar, a close associate of SP Udayakumar, convener of PMANE, was arrested in Chennai today for trying to "instigate" the fishermen there to join the stir against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP). Search for Udayakumar, who had announced that he would surrender on Tuesday night but later did a U-turn, continued, the police said. The Coast Guard aircraft and ships maintained surveillance at the sea off nearby Idinthakarai as the villagers stood in waist and neck deep water. Taking cue from a similar protest demanding land as compensation and reduction of the Omkareshwar Dam recently by villagers of Khandwa district in Madhya Pradesh, the PMANE launched ‘Jal Satyagraha’ yesterday, marking a new turn in their agitation, which was intensified after preparations for fuel loading into the plant was announced. Over 4,000 police personnel, bolstered by the Rapid Action Force, continued to maintain a strict vigil, having almost sealed the entire Kudankulam town. The Supreme Court had yesterday refused to stay loading of fuel for the Kudankulam plant, but agreed to examine the risk associated to the project, saying safety of people living in its vicinity is of prime concern. Meanwhile, Lydia Powel of the Observer Research Foundation, who believes that keeping in mind all pros and cons, India should continue to pursue nuclear energy, is assertive that the Kudankulam protests are justified because people living near any industrial projects have the right to know the risk associated with the project and to be insured about the safety. “The government should allow time for the people to accept the project rather than imposing it on them forcefully,” explains Lydia.