Orissa High Court Orders Probe Into Police Excesses Over Bauxite Protest
· India · The Hindu, Moneycontrol
The Orissa High Court ordered the Rayagada district administration to submit a report on alleged police excesses against tribal villagers who oppose a bauxite mining project in Sijimali Hill, on April 7. A Division Bench of Chief Justice Harish Tandon and Justice Chittaranjan Dash heard a public interest litigation filed by Purushottam Hikaka and seven others. Petitioners say police raided homes on March 10, ransacked houses, and arrested 21 villagers, including 10 women, and lodged Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act cases against them. The petitioners also allege inhumane treatment of a pregnant woman and other women and children, and state counsel claims 58 police were injured after being attacked while executing non‑bailable warrants. The matter will be revisited on September 2. The court has directed police to maintain peace in villages near the mining site.
Why it matters
The order brings criminal conduct by police under scrutiny, protecting the rights and livelihoods of tribal communities in Rayagada and Kalahandi and setting a precedent for state accountability during contentious mining projects.
Read the original report — The Hindu
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