Protester ‘crushed under excavator’, stir against RSP land acquisition turns violent

According to police, the incident took place at Barkani village while the protesters were trying to block the advancement of machines deployed for work. Officials said the 40-year-old was crushed when one of the excavators moved forward.

Rourkela Inspector General Brijesh Rai confirmed the death and said an investigation is underway.

“Adequate force has been deployed to maintain law and order at the protest site. The situation is under control now. We will register a case and start a probe into the death,” Rai told The Indian Express.

“One person died and 19 others including policemen and civil administration officials were injured in the stone pelting by the protestors. One man came under the JCB machine while protesting the work and got crushed,”  Rai told PTI.

Rai said eight platoons (1 platoon comprise 30 personnel) of police force were deployed to maintain law and order. “The situation is under control,” he said.

The JCB operator, Somewel Pasi was caught and assaulted by the mob.

Locals have been opposing the land acquisition for the past several months. The protesters allege that the new railway line  from Dumerta to Rourkela Steel Plant is being constructed without consulting the affected villages and without taking adequate rehabilitation measures.

“The project authorities should have taken approval from the gram sabhas before taking up construction works. No such consultation was conducted. The authorities are using force. We will continue to oppose it,” claimed a protester who did not wish to be identified.

Officials from the RSP did not respond to calls seeking a comment. The injured officials included additional tehsildar of Bisra, Purushottam Nayak. He received serious injuries on his head and body due to stone pelting by protestors, police said, adding that the injured officials and policemen were admitted to Rourkela Government Hospital.

RSP, owned by the Steel Authority of India Limited, is the first integrated steel plant in the public sector in India, set up with German collaboration. It has an installed capacity of 1 million tonnes. Its first blast furnace was fired up by Rajendra Prasad, the then President of India, on February 3, 1959.  With PTI Inputs