A violent clash between tribals and police over the construction of a road to the Sijimali bauxite mines left several people injured in Odisha’s Rayagada district on Tuesday morning, with both sides trading allegations over the use of force.

Villagers alleged that police resorted to firing, lobbing tear gas shells and lathi charges, claims denied by the police, who said nearly 40 of their personnel were injured in the confrontation.

The incident took place in Kantamala village under Kashipur block. According to villagers, police arrived early in the morning and tried to detain those protesting the road project to the mining site.

Gobinda Banteji, 35, told The Telegraph: “The state government plans to build a road to the Sijimali bauxite mining area, which we oppose. The government has already imposed a prohibitory order in the area, restricting gatherings of more than four people. This clearly shows their determination to push ahead with the road to facilitate mining activities. We will not allow it.”

He added: “Not only our village, but several other tribal villages are protesting against the project. Perhaps the police came early in the morning to pick up some villagers. They locked the door from outside. But when people came out from the back, a heated exchange followed.”

Subas Singh Majhi, president of the Sijimali Maa Mati Surakshya Mancha, alleged: “The police resorted to tear gas and blank firing. Some villagers were injured. Even a cow died. We have video evidence.”

Police, however, claimed that villagers attacked them with stones, axes and other sharp weapons in an attempt to disrupt the road work.

Additional director-general of police Sanjay Kumar told this newspaper: “People were opposing the road construction to a mining site. Police reached there to persuade them to cooperate as per the law. They suddenly attacked personnel with stones and bricks. Around 40 police officers were injured, including seven to ten senior officers who sustained grievous injuries.”

Kumar added: “To prevent escalation, we lobbed two to three tear gas shells. There was no lathi charge or blank firing. No arrests have been made so far. The situation is under control.”

Environmentalist Prafulla Samantara demanded action against officials responsible for the alleged excesses. “Did chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi order such an attack on tribals at the behest of the Vedanta company, which has got the lease in Sijimali?” he questioned.

Narendra Mohanty, state convener of the National Alliance of People’s Movements, said: “Sijimali hills, rich in bauxite and spread across Kalahandi and Rayagada, should not be handed over to companies. Road construction to the mining site must be stopped immediately. Protesters, including activist Lingaraj Azad, who are in jail, should be released.”

The ministry of environment, forest and climate change, along with the Rayagada district administration and the Odisha State Pollution Control Board, held a public hearing for the Sijimali bauxite block in 2023, a mandatory step before environmental clearance. The mining lease for the Sijimali block — with estimated reserves of 311 million tonnes — was granted to Vedanta Limited. However, protests have continued against the proposed handover of the resource-rich hills to a private company.

The CPI(M), in a statement, said: “The road is being constructed with the aim of facilitating a company’s mining activities. That is why they have issued a prohibitory order under various sections of the BNS. But the prohibitory order has affected the lives and livelihoods of the local people.”

In a joint media release, four Left parties — the CPI, CPI(M), CPI(ML) Liberation and All India Forward Bloc — on Tuesday evening condemned the alleged police repression, calling it an attack on the democratic and constitutional rights of tribal communities.

The parties also criticised the prohibitory orders, saying they would disrupt tribal life, and demanded their immediate withdrawal along with a halt to projects without Gram Sabha consent. They said a joint delegation would visit the area and warned of a statewide agitation if the situation does not improve.

Chief minister Majhi on Tuesday met mine operators and industry leaders in Bhubaneswar and assured support from the government. He asked them to boost production and set up manufacturing units in the mineral-rich belts of the state.