15 hurt as pro, anti-Posco supporters clash

More than fifteen persons were seriously injured in the trouble torn Gobindpur village within the site mega steel plant proposed by Posco in Orissa’s Jagatsinghpur district due to a clash between the anti and pro-Posco activists on Monday.

The condition of five persons injured in the violence is sated to be critical and they have been shifted to the SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack. Other injured persons have been hospitalized at Biju Pattnaik Memorial Hospital, Paradip. The tension has been shimmering since the death of Dula Mandal, an anti-Posco activist, last year which led to clashes between the pro and the anti-Posco activists in Gobindpur village. One platoon police of forces has been deployed at Balitutha to defuse tension in this village.

The Kujang police have arrested 26 pro-Posco activists in connection with Mandal’s murder case. Following the arrest of these 26 pro-Posco supporters, anti Posco activists terrorized other pro-Posco villagers by assaulting them and ransacking their houses.

Bhabanisankar Mishra, the inspector in-charge of the Kujang police station said that one person has lodged an FIR on today’s incident adding the police is yet to enter the Gobindpur village .

The panic-stricken families of the pro-Posco activists have left Gobindpur village and taken shelter in the Posco transit colony.