Nearly a month after 13 people were killed as police fired at protesters demanding closure of the Sterlite copper smelting plant in Tamil Nadu's Tuticorin, fear is palpable in villages in the area, with hundreds of men going into hiding. At Madathur village, 33-year-old Thangamary and other women in the neighbourhood are apprehensive about the safety of their male relatives. Last week, many of them slept at temples or churches, fearing late-night police action.
