Barricades back in Odisha's Dhinkia after 2013

JAGATSINGHPUR: Days after the demarcation process of Mahala revenue village was halted, anti-Posco activists of Dhinkia on Sunday re-erected bamboo barricades to restrict the entry of officials and police personnel to the village.

Protesting the bid to arrest Jindal Pratirodha Sangram Samiti (JPSS) leader Debendra Swain, gates were put up at three entry points of the village. Such sealing of entry routes to the project site was earlier witnessed from June 2005 to July 2010 after the signing of MoU with South Korean steel major Posco. But the barricading was lifted in 2013 when the National Green Tribunal (NGT) scrapped the environmental clearance of Posco for setting up the steel plant. 

Justifying the action, village chief Murlidhar Sahoo said false cases have been slapped against anti-land acquisition activists to discourage the movement. “To prevent the entry of police, we have deployed people near the barricades to keep a round-the-clock watch,” he added.

Meanwhile, an audio clip of two persons purportedly belonging to Dhinkia panchayat surfaced on social media, causing panic among locals of Govindpur. In the telephonic conversation, the two apparently discuss action against industry supporters as well as locals offering hospitality to police. SP Akhileshwar Singh who had sought public cooperation in identifying the voices said efforts are underway to ascertain the authenticity of the clip.