The Hindu : Front Page : Six tribals, policeman killed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 03, 2006

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Six tribals, policeman killed

Prafulla Das

BHUBANESWAR: Six tribals and one policeman were killed in a clash at Kalinga Nagar in Orissa's Jajpur district on Monday, the police said. Unconfirmed reports put the death toll at 13.

Around 40 tribals and police personnel were seriously injured.

The incident took place around 11 a.m. when nearly 800 tribals from nearby villages reached there to protest against the construction of a boundary wall for a proposed six-million tonne Tata Steel plant. The police said the tribals threw bricks and shot arrows, injuring several policemen.

Havildar Gopa Prasad Mohanty was killed. The police opened fire after they failed hold back the crowd by firing blanks and bursting teargas shells.

"The police opened fire at the tribals in self-defence," Director-General of Police Suchit Das said. The situation was tense but under control.

Curfew imposed

A curfew was imposed at Kalinga Nagar in the afternoon as more tribals reached the site and raised slogans against the police. Additional security forces have been deployed.

In Bhubaneswar, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said the Government was monitoring the situation. He announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 1 lakh to the next of the kin of those killed. Also, the State Government would bear the medical expenses of those injured.

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