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undefined | 58 cops among 70 injured as tribals clash with police over bauxite mining in Rayagada

Angry tribals armed with axes, tangias and other farming tools clashed with police on Tuesday in Kantamal village, Rayagada district, over a road being built to link a Vedanta Group bauxite mining block. The confrontation left 58 police officers among a total of 70 injured people, with many officers hit by blunt‑side axe blows, stones and lathis. A police team had entered the village early in the morning to arrest Sudarshan Majhi, who faces a non‑bailable warrant in 14 criminal cases and is a vocal opponent of the road project.

The unrest centred on a proposed three‑kilometre road from Purlong to Shagabari Ghat, feared by locals as a prelude to mining in the ecologically sensitive Sijimali hills. About 250 tribals from Kantamal and neighbouring villages surrounded the police, attacking them with axes, sharp weapons and stones, injuring senior officers including an ASP, DSP and IIC. Police resorted to tear‑gas shells and a lathi‑charge to retreat; six officers required transfer to Visakhapatnam for treatment, while others were treated at district hospitals. Medical sources said the injuries were primarily blunt trauma and the officers were in stable condition.

The villagers have long opposed the road, citing fears of displacement, loss of forest rights and damage to traditional livelihoods. The Sijimali bauxite reserve, auctioned to Vedanta in 2023, spans over 1,500 hectares across 18 villages and lies within Fifth Schedule tribal areas. A Vedanta spokesperson declined to comment on the clash, noting that mining has not yet begun, while anti‑mining activist Prafulla Samantara called for a fair inquiry into the police’s “late‑night excesses.” Rayagada collector Asutosh Kulkarni appealed for peace and dialogue, urging both sides to resolve the dispute through negotiation rather than violence.