Tension erupted in Dhinkia Panchayat near Paradip on Monday after the Police reportedly picked up and thrashed 5-6 villagers who protested the demarcation process of the newly formed revenue village, Mahala under the Panchayat.
As per reports, the face-off between the police and the villagers turned violent after the villagers allegedly hurled stones at the police protesting alleged police excess.
Earlier in the day, hundreds of locals including children from Dhinkia Panchayat gathered at Balitikira near the Jatadhar river mouth to protest the delimitation process of the newly formed revenue village of Mahala by the Block administration.
Sources said when the villagers moved out of their homes to protest at Jatadhar river mouth, the police arrived in the village stealthily and picked up 5-6 persons after allegedly giving them a thrashing.
A scuffle ensued after the other villagers received the news and protested the police action. They resorted to stone pelting at the Police after coming face to face at the border of Dhinkia and Patana Panchayats.
It is pertinent to mention here that this is the second time the locals protested the delimitation work of the revenue village. Earlier, the administration had to wind up the work on December 1 after facing protest from the villagers. The local residents have been alleging that by bifurcating the village, the State government has adopted the ‘divide and rule’ policy in order to allow industries in the region.
Worth mentioning here is that Jindal Steel Works Limited (JSW) is currently planning its project in Dhinkia. The villagers have been protesting the project.
Earlier, Posco had also proposed to establish its mega steel plant project in the region. However, the project ran into trouble following protests by the locals and it was stalled later.