Bhubaneswar: Opposition BJD and Congress Thursday condemned the alleged police excess on tribals during a protest over the construction of a road to Sijimali bauxite mine in Odisha’s Rayagada district.
At least 70 people, including 58 security personnel, were injured Tuesday in a clash between local tribals and police over the road construction.
The villagers are opposing the road construction to the bauxite mine at Sijimali, which has been handed over to a private company for exploration.
While the district administration claimed that the road was being constructed on the government land leading to Sijimali mines, the villagers alleged that mining would affect the local environment and their livelihood. The villagers also alleged that no formal gram sabha was held before the construction of the road, even though it was mandatory according to the law.
The dispute between the local tribals and the administration led to a violent clash in which people from both sides were injured. The administration has imposed prohibitory orders at Shagabari village and adjoining areas under Kashipur police station area following the clash.
A 10-member fact-finding team of the BJD, led by its district president and former minister Jagannath Saraka, visited Kantamal village, where police allegedly snapped electricity early Tuesday morning.
“The tribals are not against development, but the manner in which the local administration used force against people is totally undemocratic. We met several people who were injured in the clash,” Saraka, also a tribal leader, told reporters.
Former minister and BJD MLA, Ranendra Pratap Swain, came down heavily on the district administration and said, “We demand the governor’s intervention into the matter as the road to Sijimali mines is being constructed in a Scheduled Area without consent of the local people.”
He demanded a fresh gram sabha over the matter.
BJD senior vice president Debi Prasad Mishra said the fact-finding team will submit its report to party president Naveen Patnaik Thursday night.
“As per information, the police used excessive force and opened fire on innocent tribals who were protesting for their land rights,” Mishra said.
Meanwhile, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Charan Das constituted a 13-member fact-finding team under the leadership of Koraput MP Saptagiri Ulaka to visit Kashipur area Friday.
The team comprised MLAs, former ministers and ex-lawmakers.
In an X post, Congress Legislature Party leader Rama Chandra Kadam said, “The President of India is a tribal from Odisha, the chief minister is a tribal, and even the Union Tribal Welfare Minister is from Odisha… yet the struggles of tribal communities continue to be ignored.”
Kadam alleged that in Sijimali (Niyamgiri), Kashipur, Lanjigarh, Balda, Koraput, Rayagada, Kalahandi, Sundargarh, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Jajpur, and other mining areas, forests are being destroyed, lands taken, and tribal people displaced.
“Those who fight for their rights are silenced, their voices suppressed, and their struggle criminalised. Protecting ‘Jal, Jungle, and Jameen’ has now become a crime. Being a tribal, I strongly condemn this. Development cannot come at the cost of humanity. It’s time to listen, respect rights, and ensure justice,” Kadam said.
Official sources said the police have registered three cases in connection with the clash in which around 70 people were injured.
“No arrest has so far been made in this connection,” a senior police officer said.
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