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→October 2011: Protesters injured during public hearing in Ankulapaturu village in Andhra Pradesh: ref
At the hearing, project opponent Vijayakumar, was beaten by police. Vijayakumar is a doctor and an activist with Jana Vigyana Vedika a people's science organisation. An charge of attempted murder was registered against inspector Ram Babu under section 307 of the IPC. Opponents of the plant charged that the environmental impact assessment prepared by the company suppressed the impacts of the plant on the ten surrounding villages, which are mostly inhabited by landless Scheduled Tribe (ST) or small farmers belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC) and Other Backward Classes (OBC), and that the plant will be located in the middle of a wetland surrounded by shrimp farms. According to one local leader, about 700 people waled seven to eight kilometres to participate in the hearing after their tractors were blocked by police. At the hearing, sponsored by the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board, participation was limited to 20-30 people who allegedly were hired by the company to speak. After Vijayakumar asked those opposing the project to raise their hands, police began lathicharging, and Vijayakumar was allegedly strangled by company goons before being rescued by supporters.<ref>M Suchitra, [http://www.downtoearth.org.in/content/public-hearing-thermal-power-plant-andhra-pradesh-turns-violent "Public hearing for thermal power plant in Andhra Pradesh turns violent,"] DownToEarth.org, October 10, 2011</ref>
According to Environmental Justice Atlas, the site of the plant is located in a wetland surrounded by shrimp farms. "Close to the site is a large tank spread over about 810 hectares. Residents depend on this tank for their water needs. It provides means of living to many fisher families. Further, there are reserve forests and protected forests within 10 km radius of the site. There has been strong public resistance against coal-based thermal power plants coming up as a cluster in a small area. The place is unique because nowhere in the country there is such a concentration of thermal power projects, and resultant impact on environment is causing concern among the public ... Villagers were already suffering with many existing projects in the area which are creating health hazards by violating the Pollution Control Board (PCB) norms."<ref>[http://ejatlas.org/conflict/ankulapatur-power-station-ap-india "Ankulapatur power station, AP, India"] Environmental Justice Atlas, accessed April 2, 2014.</ref>
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