The Orissa Government has managed a victory of sorts in its industrialisation drive after it arrested a Communist leader who has been spearheading the movement against the Rs 51,000 crore steel project by South Korean company Posco on Sunday night.Abhay Sahu, the head of the anti-Posco front, Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti, and a CPI leader from Jagatsinghpur district, was arrested by the police when he was returning to Dhinkia village after addressing a meeting. He has 30 criminal cases pending against him, the police said. He was arrested for rioting, abduction of foreign nationals, said Jagatsinghpur SP R K Sharma. On Monday, the court of First Class Judicial Magistrate at Kujanga ordered a two-week judicial remand for Sahu.Soon after the arrest, villagers opposing the project dug up the roads leading to Dhinkia village to prevent the police from entering the village. The district authorities sent 13 platoons of policemen.“The arrest would only lead to more tension and violence,” said Sisir Mohapatra, an anti-Posco leader.Government officials said with the arrest of Sahu, the anti-Posco agitation would be weakened and help the Government in persuading the farmers to agree to the compensation package.
