Villagers stall bid of opposition celebration leaders to enter Dhinkia village

By Express News Service

PARADIP:  Apprehending breach of peace in Dhinkia, villagers on Wednesday restricted a delegation of various political events from getting into the panchayat which has witnessed violent protests over the proposed JSW metal plant up to now.

A 13-member crew of opposition events headed by the chief of the social justice motion Prafulla Samantara reached Dhinkia to work together with villagers and examine the bottom realities after the alleged police excesses on anti-JSW protestors on January 14. However, the visiting leaders have been stopped by villagers on Dhinkia-Patana highway. 

Hundreds of villagers below the aegis of Maa Phulkhai Surakhya Committee, which has thrown its weight behind the JSW venture, blocked the highway by staging a sit-in. Led by committee secretary Askhay Behera, the villagers restricted the leaders from getting into Dhinkia. The visiting delegation reportedly appealed to the agitators to permit them to enter the panchayat to satisfy villagers who’ve been ‘victims’ of the alleged police brutality. However, all their pleas fell on deaf ears they usually have been compelled to return.

Terming the incident as undemocratic, secretary of All India Forward Bloc Jyotiranjan Mohapatra mentioned Dhinkia is probably the primary village within the nation to limit outsiders from getting into it. Addressing mediapersons, he mentioned the delegation will meet Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik over the denial of their entry to Dhinkia. “We will chalk out our future plan of action after meeting the CM,” he added.

Village chief Nirvaya Samantray mentioned outsiders are coming to Dhinkia to instigate villagers to accentuate protests towards the JSW venture. After frequent incidents of violence, peace has returned to Dhinkia. “We restricted the leaders of opposition political parties from entering Dhinkia to maintain peace and harmony in the village,” he added.

Earlier this 12 months, Dhinkia witnessed violent clashes between professional and anti-JSW villagers. Besides, villagers protesting the JSW venture additionally clashed with police resulting in a number of arrests.