Mining protest erupts into violence in Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh, police vehicles torched

An ongoing protest against a coal mining project in Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh district spiralled into violence on December 27, leaving at least eight police personnel injured and several police and company vehicles torched amid clashes between villagers and security forces.

The unrest broke out at the Jindal Coal Handling Plant (CHP) chowk in Libra village of Tamnar block, where residents from 14 villages affected by the Gare Pelma Sector-I coal block have been staging a sit-in and road blockade since December 12.

The protest was triggered by opposition to a public hearing held on December 8 at Dhaurabhatha for the mining project, the district administration said.

According to the police, tensions flared when security personnel attempted to clear the blocked road. The crowd—initially estimated at around 300—rapidly swelled to nearly 1,000 and turned violent, resorting to stone-pelting and setting vehicles ablaze.

“The mob went on a rampage, torching a police bus, a jeep and an ambulance. Several policemen were attacked with sticks and stones,” a police officer said. The violence later spilled into the Jindal CHP premises, where protesters allegedly set fire to a conveyor belt, two tractors and other vehicles, besides vandalising office infrastructure.

Protesters, however, accused the police of triggering the violence through a lathi charge. “The crowd became angry after police baton-charged women who were sitting on the road to stop mining-related vehicles,” a local protester claimed. “An elderly woman was injured when a policeman pulled her up. After that, more people gathered and the situation went out of control.”

Among those injured were a local Sub-Divisional Police Officer, Anil Vishwakarma, the Station House Officer of the area and a constable. Raigarh Collector Mayank Chaturvedi blamed “antisocial elements” for provoking the crowd and escalating the situation.

“Since there were no orders to retaliate, officers had to retreat for their own safety,” Chaturvedi told the media. “We made multiple attempts to engage in dialogue. However, when teams physically approached the protesters, the crowd again turned aggressive, resumed stone-pelting and chased the officers. The mob appears to be leaderless.”

He added that efforts were underway to establish communication with local villagers and that several injured personnel had been shifted to Raigarh for medical treatment.