The efforts of the government to use psychiatrists to counsel people and activists opposing the Koodankulam nuclear plant in Tamil Nadu has drawn flak from all over.
After The New Indian Express broke the story on how the Centre was considering use of counseling skills of psychiatrists and social psychologists to combat opposition to the nuke plant, the Prime Minister’s Office has been flooded with emails and letters from anti-nuclear activists from not just India but from across the globe to shun its project to counsel the locals and those opposing the Koodankulam plant.
In his letter to the PM, ex-Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral L Ramdas has expressed shock “on the plans to task National Institute of Mental Health Bangalore, to investigate the so called ‘imbalances’ in the minds of those protesting against nuclear power, especially in Koodankulam”.
Indian Doctors for Peace and Development, an affiliated body of International Physicians for Prevention of Nuclear War has termed the move as “disturbing step”.
Anti-nuclear activist Bernd Frieboese, Berlin, Germany in his letter slammed the Centre on the move to counsel the agitators and locals.