Chennai:
A German national has been deported back to his home country on charges of raising funds against Kudankulam nuclear plant in Tamil Nadu. He was detained from a hotel in Nagercoil.
Sonnteg Reiner Hermann, the German national, had close links with Udhayakumar who is spearheading protests against the nuclear plant. The tip-off came from Central agencies.
Sonnteg was under surveillance and the police say they have telephone records based on which they took the action.
The police also searched Sonnteg's hotel room before he was sent back to Germany.
The development comes a few days after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in an interview to the 'Science' journal, blamed American NGOs for fuelling protests at the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu.
S P Udayakumar, the convenor of the People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy, leading the protest against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, had threatened to sue the Prime Minister for allegedly spreading false allegations against him.
Speaking on the German national's deportation, Mr Kumar said that the act is state orchestrated. Mr Kumar also clarified that he wasn't in touch with the German for over a year.
On the state government appointed expert panel vouching for the safety of the nuclear plant, Mr Udayakumar said it was "unethical and unprofessional" to make such a statement even before the report was submitted to the government.
The commissioning of the Indo-Russian joint venture, originally scheduled for December last, has been delayed for several months following continuing protests against the Plant by the local population over safety concerns.
Talks initiated both by the Central and state governments with the agitators have failed to break the deadlock.