At least twelve tribal people died after police opened fire on a crowd at Kalinganagar in the Indian state of Orissa on Monday.
The people, mainly from the Ho tribe, were protesting against controversial plans to build a steel plant on their land. The plant is one of at least thirty big mining and metal factory projects being forced through on tribal land by Orissa's state government.
Bulldozers started construction of a wall at the site on Monday morning, in the presence of local officials, representatives of the company Tata Steel, and hundreds of armed police.
Orissa has a large and diverse tribal population. Thousands of tribal people in the state have already lost their land to industrialisation projects, and many thousands more have been displaced in the last twenty years by dams built to provide power and water for metal factories.
One policeman was also killed in the conflict at Kalinganagar.
For more information call Miriam Ross on (+44) (0)20 7687 8734 or email [email protected]
Massacre of tribe in Orissa
January 5, 2006
Related news articles
- Sign tribal peoples’ law and help save rainforests – call for action on UN Indigenous Peoples’ Day - Thu August 06, 2009
- Two more indigenous leaders seek asylum - Fri July 10, 2009
- Indigenous organisation says Ombudsman's report not 'definitive' - Tue July 07, 2009
- Ombudsman's report says 33 people died in Amazon violence - Mon July 06, 2009
Most recent
- "A total halt to new Protected Areas": campaigners issue Marseille Manifesto for the future of conservation - Wed October 13, 2021
- Ayoreo appeal to Inter-American Commission to save their forest from destruction - Mon October 04, 2021
- Coal mine plans spark huge protest from India’s tribal people - Thu September 30, 2021
- Serious risk of attack by miners on uncontacted Yanomami in Brazil - Thu September 30, 2021