Unrest at Vedanta Alumina Plant: 2 protesters dead as police resort to lathicharge
At least two people were killed after police resorted to lathicharge to disperse the crowd gathered outside Vedanta Aluminium Plant in Odisha's Kalahandi on Monday. Among the dead were a protester and one Odisha Industrial Security Force (OISF) personnel.
The protesters, mostly people from nearby villages, had gathered outside the Vedanta plant to demand employment. At least 30 people were also reported to be injured in the incident. The deceased have been identified as Dina Patra (contractual employee) and OISF havildar Sujit.
As per reports, the labourers were staging a dharna in front of the main gate of Vedanta Alumina demanding jobs for locals. But when security personnel of the factory asked them to disperse, the agitators tried to barge into the premises and torched the security guard shed.
Later the security guards resorted to lathi-charge injuring 30 labourers. Though the injured were rushed to the refinery hospital immediately, the two persons including a labourer of the factory succumbed to the injuries at the hospital.
As the situation turned grim, the district administration has clamped the prohibitory orders under Section 144 in front of the factory’s main gate.
