PARADIP: A day after a villager of Mahala under Dhinkia panchayat of Erasama block refused to join the protest against the demarcation of the newly-formed revenue village and was identified as a JSW supporter, unidentified miscreants chopped down betel vine plants in his yard on Thursday. The victim Surendra Jena (64) filed a police complaint on the day and sought security for all villagers who are supporting the proposed steel plant project and demarcation of Mahala as a revenue village.
Sources said, Jena had refused to join the protests on Wednesday where villagers of Mahala had halted the demarcation process and sought cooperation from all residents to oppose its revenue status. As per his allegations, the protestors had warned him of dire consequences after he refused to join the agitation and destroyed his crop to avenge his non-cooperation.
Expressing sorrow, Jena said he had recently spent Rs 7 lakh for treatment of a fatal disease.”I had borrowed money for my treatment and was hoping to repay through returns from my betel vine cultivation. I am shattered after today’s incident,” he sighed.
Sources said, supporters of JSW Steel Plant have been favouring the bifurcation and the anti-JSW group is opposing it. A similar incident happened during Posco project when activists opposing the steel plant had allegedly chopped off the hands of a Posco supporter and damaged his crops. Besides, nearly 52 families of Patana village were forcibly driven out of the village.
Contacted, Abhayachandpur IIC Pradyumna Behera informed that due to cyclone alert, demarcation of the boundary line of Mahala has been stopped for an indefinite period. “After getting allegations from the victim, police has registered a case and investigation is underway,” he said.
Meanwhile, Abhyachandpur police on the day registered a case against 300 villagers of Mahala and Dhinkia including 200 women for obstructing revenue officials during the demarcation process on Wednesday. The case was registered after Erasama tehsildar C. Pragyananda Das lodged an FIR in this regard.
The bifurcation of Mahala and Patana villages of Dhinkia into revenue villages has been facing stiff opposition from villagers who feel this is a ploy of the administration to hand over land to industries.