4 people arrested after violence breaks out during Gram Sabha meeting about building a large steel plant.

The atmosphere at the Gram Sabha meeting on Friday in Keonjhar district was tense as discussions about a proposed mega steel plant sparked clashes between supporters and opponents. The meeting, which was the fourth one held to discuss the project, took place at the Dhanurjaypur school grounds in Patana tehsil under Chemena panchayat. The villagers who would be affected by the land acquisition for the plant were demanding compensation of Rs 50 crore per acre, along with 36 additional conditions.

However, the situation turned chaotic even before the meeting started as the pro-plant and anti-plant groups came face to face near the venue. The tension soon turned into a physical confrontation, prompting the police to intervene. In order to control the crowd and restore order, the officers had to use batons to disperse the protesters.

According to the officials, four leaders from the opposition group were arrested in connection to previous cases. The individuals have been identified as Nirmal Mahanta, Manohar Mahanta, Amiya Naik and Dhaneswar Mahanta, all from Kodkhaman village under Jamunaposi panchayat. "The arrests were made based on existing cases," said Diptiranjan Sahu, the IIC of Turumunga police station.

Several protesters were injured in the police action and were taken to the District Headquarters Hospital for treatment. The meeting was chaired by the local sarpanch Hemalata Naik and was attended by various officials including the Additional District Magistrate, Special Land Acquisition Officer, probationary IAS officer, Patana Tehsildar, BDO, and IDCO land acquisition officer. During the meeting, opinions were gathered from the residents regarding the acquisition of 57.110 decimals of land from 166 plots belonging to 44 landowners in the mouza.

Some villagers, including Prafula Maharana, Ramachandra Mahant, and Sait Maharana, presented their demands which included higher compensation and other rehabilitation measures. The Additional District Magistrate, Rabindra Kumar Pradhan, assured them that their demands would be forwarded to the government for consideration. However, members of a resistance forum condemned the police's use of force and demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the arrested leaders.

The police, on the other hand, stated that the situation was now under control. In other news, the Orissa POST, which is Odisha's No.1 English daily, continues to provide updates on the latest events and developments in the state. Stay informed with us.