Odisha: Several residents, over 50 police personnel injured in clash amid protests against mining

Over 50 police personnel and several residents were injured on Tuesday in a clash between the police and Adivasi residents in Odisha’s Rayagada district in connection with a road project linked to Vedanta Limited’s proposed Sijimali bauxite mine, The Hindu reported.

The confrontation occurred in Sagabari village under the Kashipur block, where residents have been protesting the construction of a roughly 3 km-long road from Purlong to Sagabari Ghat, which would provide access to mining in the ecologically sensitive Sijimali hills, Hindustan Times reported.

Mining company Vedanta Limited had secured the bauxite block through an auction in 2023.

Police said a team had arrived the area early in the morning to execute a non-bailable arrest warrant against a local leader, Sudarshan Majhi, who is also among those opposing the project.

He was wanted in connection with 14 criminal cases, including an attempt to murder, Rayagada Superintendent of Police Swathy S Kumar told The Times of India.

According to Kumar, the police team was surrounded and attacked by a large group of residents.

“The police found it difficult to retreat,” she said. “As many as 58 personnel, including a Sub-Divisional Officer, were injured. Six personnel were shifted to Visakhapatnam as their condition deteriorated.”

Subsequently the police used tear gas and carried out a lathi charge to disperse the crowd and retreat, Kumar was quoted as saying...

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