Odisha police crack down on villagers protesting against JSW Utkal project, locals allege repression 

The incident was the latest in a series of confrontations in recent weeks between the police and local villagers, who are opposed to the project, fearing loss of livelihoods, land alienation and environmental degradation (Representative Image: Shutterstock)

In the latest confrontation between Odisha authorities and local residents opposed to JSW Utkal Steel’s upcoming project in Jagatsinghpur district, at least six protestors were injured in a police lathi charge and two arrested. Locals alleged police repression.

Monday’s incident in the coastal village of Dhinkia took place after hundreds of protestors joined a demonstration against demarcation work for a new revenue village — a small administrative unit with defined borders, headed by a village administrative officer — in Dhinkia panchayat named Mahala.

“We fear the government is creating new revenue villages here to facilitate land acquisition and fracture our movement (against the project). So, when administrative officials arrived in Mahala on Monday morning for demarcation work accompanied by many policemen, we held a protest demanding a halt to the activity,” said Ananta Sahoo (name changed on request), who participated in the demonstration.

The incident was the latest in a series of confrontations in recent weeks between the police and local villagers, who are opposed to the project, fearing loss of livelihoods, land alienation and environmental degradation.

South Korean steel maker POSCO was supposed to set up a steel plant and port on the same site earlier, but pulled out in 2015-16 owing to resistance from local residents. Although the Odisha government subsequently approved a proposal by JSW Utkal, a subsidiary of JSW Steel, to set up a steel plant, cement grinding unit, thermal power plant and jetty on the site, in 2019, palli sabhas (a fourth tier of local governance below the gram sabha) in the area passed resolutions opposing the project.

Sahoo and others present at the site said that at around 2 pm on Monday, the police suddenly chased and baton-charged them, and arrested two villagers named Ajodhya Swain and Mili Swain without any arrest warrant or memo.

Although both persons had been named in a first information report (FIR) filed at the Abhaychandpur Police Station on December 4 and accused of assaulting the police, villagers said the case was foisted on them in reprisal for their opposition to the project and demarcation work for new revenue villages.

False cases? 

“Police repression peaked after we first opposed demarcation work for new revenue villages in Patana and Mahala on November 30 and December 1 and they filed multiple false cases against us,” said Debendra Swain, leader of the movement against the project.

Ajodhya Swain and Mili Swain, who were arrested on Monday, are his uncle and sister.

Between December 1 and 4, six FIRs were filed at the Abhaychandpur police station against hundreds of villagers including Debendra Swain, Ajodhya Swain and Mili Swain.

This reporter has copies of all FIRs, which claimed the accused obstructed government officials on duty, assaulted the police, snatched service revolvers and other charges.

On December 3, at around 3 am, police also raided and tried to break into Swain’s house to arrest him, said villagers.

“But we reached the spot in large numbers and raised a hue and cry, forcing them to retreat,” said Shanti Das, an elderly lady who sustained injuries on her right hand during police lathi charge that night.

Videos of the police raid captured by villagers showed policemen trying to break open Swain’s door with rifle butts and lathis even as it rained heavily on account of Cyclone Jawad making landfall in the vicinity. Videos also showed the police chasing and lathi-charging villagers who tried to restrain them.

Villagers on vigil 

Around 10-15 armed policemen stand guard on each of the three roads leading into the coastal village of Dhinkia, the epicentre of the movement, round the clock, checking the Aadhaar cards of passers-by.

Villagers also maintain a strict vigil on major roads during the night, fearing they may enter the village and try to arrest them in violation of due procedure.

Activists and civil society groups in Odisha condemned the police action.

“Police is targeting and harassing villagers opposed to the project by implicating them in false cases, assaulting and arresting them in violation of due procedure and placing them under a blockade. This must stop forthwith,” said Chandranath Dani, a Bhubaneswar-based lawyer who recently visited Dhinkia for to probe alleged reprisals against villagers.

On December 21, Dani and other well-known activists petitioned the Odisha Human Rights Commission over the perceived police repression. The commission asked the Superintendent of Police of Jagatsinghpur to submit a report on the matter by 21 January.

Detailed queries sent by email and phone calls made to JSW executives on the villagers’ allegations did not elicit a response.

Akhilesvar Singh, Superintendent of Police, Jagatsinghpur said allegations of villagers regarding police excesses were false and fabricated.

“So long as people from Dhinkia were opposing things in a peaceful manner, police never interfered or registered a single case. But when they started attacking those who were not supporting them, pelted stones at police parties, and interfered in our attempts to arrest those accused in earlier cases, we registered some cases and started investigation,” said Singh.

He stated that police had not arrested anyone till date and the two villagers who were arrested on December 20 were “served notices under Section 41 of CrPC and released from the police station.” He also said police pickets were set up in Dhinkia to avoid clashes among villagers.