The Rayagada district administration has barred entry of prominent tribal rights activist Medha Patkar and six others into five panchayats of the Sijhimali hill region from Friday evening to Monday, amid mounting protests against bauxite mining.

The restricted areas include Sunger, Adajore, Talajhiri, Sindoor Ghati and Kashipur gram panchayats.

In an order dated August 8, district collector Ashutosh Kulkarni said the activists’ presence ahead of the World Indigenous Peoples Day on Saturday could pose a threat to peace in the region. Along with Patkar, the entry ban covers Narendra Mohanty, Lingaraj Azad, Raja Ranjan, Saranya Kumari, Raj Kishore Sunami, and Prafulla Samantara, recipient of the 2017 Goldman Environmental Prize.

The administration cited the role of outfits such as the Maa Matti Mali Surakshya Mancha and the Niyamgiri Suraksha Samiti in allegedly inciting tribal communities against mining operations.

The order also referred to the recent arrest of tribal anti-mining activist Narangi Dei Majhi, who it claimed has a criminal background. Narangi Dei had visited Bhubaneswar in July and submitted a memorandum to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, highlighting alleged police excesses against protesting tribals in Rayagada and Kalahandi.

Authorities fear that mobilisation in the region on Saturday could escalate if anti-mining leaders are allowed to enter. Patkar was earlier stopped from travelling to interior parts of Rayagada on June 5 and taken to Berhampur before proceeding to Bhubaneswar.