Tensions over mining in Rayagada escalated into violence as anti-mining protesters clashed with police in Kashipur. Over 30 personnel, including SDPO Gourishankar Sahu and IIC Dev Mallick, were injured during an attack in Shagbari village. Seven officers remain in critical condition with severe head injuries.
The conflict ignited over Vedanta Alumina's construction of a transit road to the Sijimali mining site. Villagers, long opposed to the project, reportedly attacked police who were attempting to secure the construction zone.
In response to the deteriorating law and order situation, District Magistrate Ashutosh Kulkarni and SP Swati S. Kumar have arrived at the scene. Section 163 (formerly Section 144) has been clamped across the Shagbari area to prevent further escalation.
The incident marks a bloody chapter in the ongoing resistance against industrial expansion in the mineral-rich district.