At least eight police personnel were injured on Saturday after an ongoing protest against a coal mining project in Tamnar block in Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh district turned violent, PTI reported.
Tensions escalated at the Jindal Coal Handling Plant chowk in Libra village, where villagers had been staging a road blockade and sit-in protest since December 12, The Indian Express reported.
Residents from 14 villages affected by the Gare Pelma Sector-I coal block have been protesting against a public hearing held on December 8 at Dhaurabhatha for the project, the district administration was quoted as saying. The villagers have demanded the cancellation of the proposed mining project, alleging that the public hearing violated prescribed norms.
Police said that the situation deteriorated when personnel attempted to clear the road, following which the crowd swelled and turned violent, the newspaper reported. Stones were thrown at police teams.
“The mob, which grew from 300 to 1,000, went on a rampage,” an unidentified police officer told The Indian Express. “They torched a police bus, a jeep and an ambulance. Several policemen were attacked with sticks and stones.”
Those injured included Sub Divisional Police Officer Anil Vishwakarma, Tamnar police station in-charge Kamla Pusam and a constable, PTI reported.
The protestors later entered the Jindal Coal Handling Plant premises, where a conveyor…
Source: Chhattisgarh: Agitators and police clash during anti-mining protests in Raigarh
