In the Tamnar region of Raigarh district, Chhattisgarh, demonstrations opposing a coal mining project turned violent on Saturday. Protestors began pelting stones, injuring several police officers. Following this, they set multiple vehicles on fire, as reported by a police official to a news agency.
Massive Crowds Gathered
Officials stated that on Saturday, the crowd breached Jindal Power Limited’s coal handling plant, setting ablaze a conveyor belt, two tractors, and other vehicles while also vandalizing the office premises. Protestors threw stones and torched a police bus, a jeep, and an ambulance, damaging several other government vehicles, causing tensions in the area.
A district administration statement noted that residents of 14 affected villages under Gare Pelma Sector-I of Tamnar area have been staging a sit-in protest at Libra village’s CHP Chowk since December 12, opposing the public hearing held on December 8 for the project. On Saturday morning, around 300 protestors gathered and blocked a road, disrupting traffic.
Senior revenue and police officers intervened around 10 AM to persuade protestors back to their designated tents. However, as more people from nearby villages joined, the crowd swelled to about 1,000. Despite repeated loudspeaker pleas for calm by the authorities, the crowd became violent around 2:30 PM.
The protestors broke police barricades and attacked officers with stones and sticks, severely injuring police Sub-Divisional Officer Anil Vishwakarma, Tamnar police station in-charge Kamla Pusam, and a constable. Several other officers, including female personnel, also sustained injuries.
The district administration reported subsequent attacks on a police bus, jeep, and ambulance, and vandals inflicted damage on other government vehicles. Protestors then moved towards Jindal’s company coal handling plant (CHP), forcibly entered, and set fire to a conveyor belt, two tractors, and other vehicles.
While vandalizing the office premises, the situation failed to normalize even after local MLA Vidyawati Sidar, Raigarh Collector Mayank Chaturvedi, and Superintendent of Police Divyang Patel attempted to calm the crowd.
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The district administration’s statement mentions renewed stone-pelting and arson incidents at the CHP plant. Police report the situation remains tense but under control, with heightened security in the area. Collector Mayank Chaturvedi assured journalists that for the past 15 days, villagers' peaceful sit-ins at the protest site were secure with necessary support from the administration.
Congress Blames Government Stubbornness
Chhattisgarh Congress President Deepak Baij called the clashes regrettable, attributing them to the state's “stubbornness.” Baij accused the state government of forcibly displacing villagers and tribals from their lands for coal mining.
He claimed police lathi-charged villagers and tribals protesting the coal block allocation and ‘false’ public hearing at Tamnar’s Gare Pelma Sector-I, instigating angered locals to retaliate. Baij added that previously peaceful villagers were enraged by government actions.
