Barbaric, inhuman attack on Odisha villagers to implement JSW project: NGO networks

Counterview Desk
A “solidarity statement" issued by three top civil society networks, Friends of the Earth India (FoE India), Delhi Solidarity Group (DSG) and the National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM), has asked the Odisha chief minister to ensure that the “inhumane barbaric attack on the villagers of Dhinkia, Odisha” in order to implement a corporate project.
Asking the Naveen Patnaik government to “end resource loot, the statement insisted, that all activists and villagers arrested for protesting against the the JSW Project should be freed and cases against them withdrawn.

Text:

We strongly condemn the inhumane barbaric attack by the Odisha police on the residents of Dhinkia village. As seen in videos and reports emerging from the ground, many villagers including women and children who were protecting their betel fields against the forceful destruction by the administration were injured in the police crackdown. It is also learnt that activists including Narendra Mohanty, Debendra Swain and some others have been arrested.
As per reports, on Friday January 14, 2022, around 1:30 pm the situation escalated between the villagers and the Police force as the latter started destroying the betel fields of the villagers. Police said that without consent no betel vine was destroyed but today police dismantled many betel vines of protesters after the attack.
The demolition was arbitrary and part of the administration’s ploy to expedite land acquisition for the JSW project. The villagers have constantly been opposing the proposed JSW Utkal’s Steel, Cement and other projects in Dhinkia village in Odisha's Jagatsinghpur district.
On December 20 last year the tension prevailed in the village following a violent police action by the police on the villagers. The people of Dhinkia had opposed the administration's move to demarcate the boundary of the village and the arrests of two residents who were leading the agitation against the JSW project.
This is the same site where POSCO had earlier come up with a mega steel project. But, after POSCO’s exit from Dhinkia village, the Government of Odisha has given the proposed site to JSW Utkal Steel’s for setting up of 13.2 MTPA steel plant, 10 MTPA cement and 900 MW captive power plant at an estimated cost of Rs 65,000 crore at Jagatsinghpur near Paradip Port, Odisha.
The villagers have opposed the POSCO project then and fought a decade long battle for their lives and livelihood and now yet again they are resisting the JSW Steel’s proposed project in the area as they are all dependent on betel farms, paddy and cashew cultivation, fishing and Minor Forest Produces for their means of support.
For the said project around 3000 acres of land is required. Odisha’s Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) had acquired 2,700 acres in the villages under Nuagaon, Gadakujanga and Dhinkia Gram Panchayats of the district for POSCO, most of which would pass on to JSW.

Many villagers including women and children who were protecting their betel fields against forceful destruction were injured in police crackdown

The administration now wants to acquire 748 acres more for the new project, which comes under Dhinkia Gram Panchayat.
"The dhan-pan-meen (paddy, betel vines and fish) that we grow here has sustained us for generations. We will not let the project come up at any cost,” said one of the residents of the village.
The women in Dhinkia have accused the administration of intimidating people to make them agree to dismantle their betel vines and clear the way for the project. They allege the police have slapped several cases against the villagers as the administration has gone about demarcating and dismantling betel vines.
There is strong resistance by activists and villagers of Polang, Bayanala Kandha, Gobindpur, Dhinkia, Naugaon, Jatadhara villages that are directly affected by this project. The project will not only destroy the traditional livelihood of the people but will also deprive them from natural resources.
This will also bring in a serious impact on the environment (air, water, noise and land environment), socio-economic (loss of local livelihood, loss of different plantation and generational transfer of traditional knowledge), ecology, health and pollution.
At a time when the third wave of Covid is hitting us the village administration and the government are determined to clear some of these corporate projects without any consultation with the affected families and villagers who will be displaced of their land and traditional professions.
We call upon the Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik to stop this barbaric police attack on villagers, protect their right to life and livelihood and not proceed with the JSW Project.
We also demand that all the arrested activists and villagers be released immediately and all cases foisted against them be dropped.

Comments

Modi’s Israel visit strengthened Pakistan’s hand in US–Iran truce: Ex-Indian diplomat

By Jag Jivan M. K. Bhadrakumar , a career diplomat with three decades of service in postings across the former Soviet Union, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Germany, and Turkey, has warned that the current truce in the US–Iran war is “fragile and ridden with contradictions.” Writing in his blog India Punchline , Bhadrakumar argues that while Pakistan has emerged as a surprising broker of dialogue, the durability of the ceasefire remains uncertain.

Incarceration of Prof Saibaba 'revives' the question: What is crime, who is criminal?

By Kunal Pant* In 2016, a Supreme Court Judge asked the state of Maharashtra, “Do you want to extract a pound of flesh?” The statement was directed against the state for contesting the bail plea of Delhi University Professor GN Saibaba. Saibaba was arrested in 2014, a justification for which was to prevent him from committing what the police called “anti-national activities.”

Why Indo-Pak relations have been on 'knife’s edge' , hostilities may remain for long

By Utkarsh Bajpai* The past few decades have seen strides being made in all aspects of life – from sticks and stones to weaponry. The extreme case of this phenomenon has been nuclear weapons. The menace caused by nuclear weapons in the past is unforgettable. Images of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from 1945 come to mind, after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the cities.

Food security? Gujarat govt puts more than 5 lakh ration cards in the 'silent' category

By Pankti Jog* A new statistical report uploaded by the Gujarat government on the national food security portal shows that ensuring food security for the marginalized community is still not a priority of the state. The statistical report, uploaded on December 24, highlights many weaknesses in implementing the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in state.

Manufacturing, services: India's low-skill, middle-skill labour remains underemployed

By Francis Kuriakose* The Indian economy was in a state of deceleration well before Covid-19 made its impact in early 2020. This can be inferred from the declining trends of four important macroeconomic variables that indicate the health of the economy in the last quarter of 2019.

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.

Lata Mangeshkar, a Dalit from Devdasi family, 'refused to sing a song' about Ambedkar

By Pramod Ranjan* An artist is known and respected for her art. But she is equally, or even more so known and respected for her social concerns. An artist's social concerns or in other words, her worldview, give a direction and purpose to her art. History remembers only such artists whose social concerns are deep, reasoned and of durable importance. Lata Mangeshkar (28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was a celebrated playback singer of the Hindi film industry. She was the uncrowned queen of Indian music for over seven decades. Her popularity was unmatched. Her songs were heard and admired not only in India but also in Pakistan, Bangladesh and many other South Asian countries. In this article, we will focus on her social concerns. Lata lived for 92 long years. Music ran in her blood. Her father also belonged to the world of music. Her two sisters, Asha Bhonsle and Usha Mangeshkar, are well-known singers. Lata might have been born in Indore but the blood of a famous Devdasi family...

'Batteries now cheap enough for solar to meet India's 90% demand': Expert quotes Ember study

By A Representative Shankar Sharma, Power & Climate Policy Analyst, has urged India’s top policymakers to reconsider the financial and ecological implications of the country’s energy transition strategy in light of recent global developments. In a letter dated April 10, 2026, addressed to the Union Ministers of Finance, Power, New & Renewable Energy, Environment, Forest & Climate Change, and the Vice Chair of NITI Aayog, with a copy to the Prime Minister, Sharma highlighted concerns over India’s ambitious plans for coal gasification and the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR).

Labour unrest in Manesar trigger tensions: Recently enacted labour codes blamed

By A Representative A civil rights coalition has expressed concern over recent developments in the industrial hub of Manesar in Haryana, where a series of labour actions and police responses have drawn attention. A statement, released by the Campaign Against State Repression (CASR), said it stood in solidarity with workers in IMT Manesar and other parts of the country, while also alleging instances of police excess during ongoing unrest.

Search This Blog