After a brief lull, unrest returned to Dhinkia, the proposed JSW Steel plant site in Jagatsinghpur district on Saturday following a violent scuffle that broke out during the visit of the Orissa High Court-appointed lawyers’ committee to review the ground situation.
The five-member joint advocates’ committee consisting of three petitioners and two State counsels was supposed to take stock of the ground situation and submit a report to the HC.
After arriving at Dhinkia, the panel began collecting data near Maa Phulakhai temple at the village. However, some villagers opposed the presence of social activist and RTI activist Manas Ranjan Kar who accompanied the panel during the visit.
The villagers questioned why Kar, who hails from another village, accompanied the advocates’ panel. Soon a scuffle broke out between the social activist and locals. Pradeep Satpathy, who was opposing the setting up of the plant was also allegedly assaulted brutally in the presence of police and the committee members.
While tension prevailed at the village, additional SP, Erasama Tehsildar and IIC of local police station took stock of the situation. Adequate police forces have been deployed at the village to prevent any untoward incident.
Speaking to OTV, a member of the advocates’ panel said, “We will submit our report to the High Court. We will mention everything in our report.”
It may be recalled that tension erupted at Dhinkia last month after the locals protesting against the JSW project scuffled with the police personnel. The police had resorted to lathi charge that left many local residents injured.
Later, two separate public interest litigations (PILs) were filed in the Orissa High Court protesting the police lathi charge and alleged forceful eviction of the residents.