Paradip, June 10: The movement against the 12-million-tonne Posco steel project acquired a new dimension in Dhinkia gram panchayat area today with a large number of children joining their parents to fend off “trespassers”. This unprecedented step to use children as “human shield” increased tension in the area as it marked the stepping up of round-the-clock vigil by anti-Posco brigades along the Dhinkia border to stop “intrusion”.

However in nearby Gobindapur village, the administration today tasted partial success as it managed to outwit protesters by gaining “backdoor” entry into parts of the area. The official then demolished 11 betel vineyards and acquired around 1.5 acres of forestland for the controversial project.

Tension increased in Dhinkia as around 500 children positioned themselves at the forefront of the resistance against land acquisition. Along with others, they laid on the ground to block officials from stepping into the area.

With the congregation of about 2,000 gun-totting policemen along strife-torn Dhinkia border, the situation had turned volatile in the project areas. The administration was apparently on the backfoot making appeal through the public address system to vacate the place and stop resistance. But, the appeal went unheeded.

“Confrontation was imminent. We are not in favour of using force against children and women. The agitation was peaceful though they broke the law by preventing the officials from discharging their duty. Still we acted with utmost restraint and did not use force,” said Shantanu Kumar Das, sub-division police officer, Paradip, who was present at the spot. The situation was surcharged for the better part of the day with fears of police crackdown.

“The assembly of people had been declared illegal. I personally appealed to the agitators to take away children from the spot. But, they remained unyielding. The anti-Posco protesters have set a very disturbing trend of using small children as human shield. Nowhere in any resistance has movement there been such misuse of children,” said Jagatsinghpur superintendent of police Devdutta Singh.

However, 11-year-old Plabanika Rout begged to differ. “These people are coming to dispossess my parents of our land and livelihood. We will be left with little to eat. Therefore, I accompanied my parents to the spot of protest,” said the teenaged girl.

In Gobindapur village, however, the officials had the upper hand. They managed to outwit protesters by making backdoor entry to demolish betel vineyards. The Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samity (PPSS), the outfit spearheading the movement against the plant, described the officials’ backdoor entry as an act of cowardice.

“Without resorting to violence, we entered parts of Gobindapur though another entry point and pulled down betel vineyards. A payment of Rs 17 lakh has been made to the landlosers,” said Saroj Kanta Choudhury, additional district magistrate, Paradip.

“It’s an act of betrayal. The betel vineyards of those, who are sitting on protest, were demolished. The officials have made a mockery of law and justice. None of the farmers, whose betel vineyards were destroyed today, were present when the officials unleashed the acts of vandalism,” said PPSS president Abhaya Sahu.

“Since morning, I have been here at the Gobindapur border taking part in the protest. Now, I am told that my betel vineyard has been pulled down and compensation cheque paid to me. It’s an act of deception,” said Bichitra Rout, a betel vine farmer from Gobindapur village.

“Our job is to carry out land acquisition process for the steel project. As protesters blocked our way, we took another route to arrive at Gobindapur village. It was a strategic move and there was no impropriety involved. We are armed with an order to acquire the encroached forestland. For acquisition, presence of the encroacher is not mandatory,” said special land acquisition officer Nrusingha Charan Swain.