Four hurt in clash at Noliasahi

Tension prevailed at Noliasahi in the proposed Posco project site due to clash between anti and pro Posco activists in which four persons including two media persons and a panchayat samiti member were injured.

The clash occurred following altercation between two groups over disappearance of seven tribal families residing in the Posco site before the visit of the Central team and their re-appearance after the Central team left the area.

It may be noted that the anti-Posco activists had refuted the claim of the district administration that there were no tribals living in the Posco site and produced voters list before the visiting team to point out that seven tribal families were staying in Polang village. Even one tribal woman, Meena Hembrum of Santhal community was a ward member from ward no 9 of Gadkujang panchayat.

They further alleged that the district officials had shifted these families out of the village two days before the visit of the Central team to prove that there were no tribals in the project area.

After the departure of the Central team, these seven tribal families returned to their village last night. Getting this information, panchayat samiti member Basudev Behera accompanied with his supporters and two media persons from Kendrapara today visited the village to probe the disappearance of these families and their plight at the hands of the pro-Posco activists.

Ward member, Hembrum, however, refused to give any information about their absence during the Central team’s visit without permission of my husband who was away.

The pro-Posco activists protested visit of Behera and his supporters including two media persons to the village which led to heated exchanges between the two groups. During the altercation, two miscreants attacked PS member, Behera and his supporters in which four persons were injured.

Earlier, following the detention of some scribes at Gobindpur and threat issued to them for publishing anti-Posco news during the visit of the Central team, one scribe Raghu Sahoo has lodged an FIR against five pro-Posco activists.