Arrests mount as Indigenous, Dalit communities resist bauxite mining in eastern India

Authorities in the Indian state of Odisha have arrested more than 100 Adivasi and Dalit people and filed at least 43 criminal cases since 2023, according to the International Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self-Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL). The arrests and legal actions follow protests by local communities against bauxite mining projects in the Rayagada and Kalahandi districts.

The IPMSDL reports that Vedanta Ltd. obtained a 50-year lease in February 2023 to mine bauxite across 1,549 hectares in these districts. Community members have protested the project to defend their lands. Among those detained is Lingaraj Azad, an adviser to the Niyamgiri Suraksha Samiti (NSS), who has opposed the Sijimali and Kutrumali projects. Azad has remained in Bhawanipatna jail since March 25, despite having secured bail in one case.

On October 16, authorities arrested Dalit activist Laxman Naik and community health organizer Dr. Randall Sequeira at Sequeira’s home in Kalahandi. Both men are held at the Rayagada sub-jail on charges including attempted murder, armed rioting, armed robbery, and criminal intimidation. The IPMSDL stated these charges are fabricated. Additionally, Lada Sikaka, a Dongria Kandh leader and president of the NSS, was arrested on September 10.