Five days after beginning of talks between the state government and agitators against South Korean major POSCO’s proposed steel plant, fresh tension erupted at the project site near Paradip port during survey work,

Two anti-plant protesters were injured in police lathicharge while resisting the entry of survey teams into Nuagaon village under Kujang block of Jagatsinghpur district. The two injured have been identified as Mr Natha Samal and Mr Ajay Swain.

Mr Abhay Sahu president of the POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti, which has been leading the movement against POSCO’s proposed mega steel plant since the past five years, said the two injured persons had been taken into custody and detained at Kujang police station.

He alleged that “They are being tortured at the police station and their family members are not allowed to meet them.”

Mr Sahu said “We will resist the survey and land acquisition till the last drop of our blood.”

He said a meeting was held today to prevent entry of survey team and police forces in Govindpur and Dhinkia villages, considered as bastion of anti-steel plant movement.

But police officers denied the charges of torture by saying that “They were arrested for attacking the survey teams.”

(Sourced from The Telegraph)