Local residents continued their agitation against the construction of a railway line for the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) in Odisha on Sunday, a day after a protester was crushed to death under an excavator while trying to block the movement of machines deployed for the work.
Tensions prevailed as protesters placed the body of 40-year-old Ettua Ekka at the protest site and demanded adequate compensation for his family and the return of their land acquired by the RSP.
Rourkela IG Brijesh Rai said the district administration and police have been engaging with the protesters. “They (the protesters) are discussing among themselves and will inform us about their decision in a while,” Rai told The Indian Express. However, he said police had not received any demand or complaint from Ekka’s family.
Police are yet to register an FIR over the protester’s death.
Ekka’s death on Saturday had sparked violent clashes between the protesting tribals from the area and the police, leading to injuries on both sides. The injured have been admitted to the Rourkela government hospital.
According to police, the incident took place at Barkani village while the protesters were trying to block the advancement of machines deployed for the construction work. Officials said the 40-year-old was crushed when one of the excavators moved forward.
A day before the death, police had registered an FIR against “unknown persons” in connection with the protest.
The FIR on April 18 was registered under BNS sections 189(2) (unlawful assembly), 296 (obscene acts), 126(2) (wrongful restraint), 132 (assaulting public servant), 221 (obstructing public servant doing their duty), 224 (threat of injury to public servant), 351(3) (criminal intimidation) and 190 (liability of members of an unlawful assembly for offenses).
According to the FIR, on April 18, construction work of the railway line from Dumerta to RSP boundary started at about 9.30 am in the presence of RSP officials, an executive magistrate and police personnel.
“Suddenly, at noon, around 300 local people including women from Barkani Village area approached the construction site. Seeing their approach, the police cordoned the construction site, but all of them forcefully entered inside the cordon…and obstructed the working of the machinery. They stopped all the machinery by force… All of them surrounded the staff and wrongfully restrained them and abused IIC, RSP officials, (and) police personnel in filthy language,” the FIR said.