Violent clashes erupt at Chhattisgarh coal protest, several cops injured

At least eight persons, including police personnel, were injured and multiple vehicles set ablaze on Saturday after a protest against a coal mining project turned violent in the Tamnar area of Raigarh district, officials said.

According to the district administration, protesters stormed the coal handling plant of Jindal Power Limited, torching a conveyor belt, two tractors and other vehicles, besides vandalising office premises. A police bus, a jeep and an ambulance were also set on fire during the clashes, officials added.

Tension escalated after protesters resorted to stone-pelting and arson, damaging several government vehicles. The situation remained volatile even after senior officials and the local legislator reached the site to pacify the crowd, the administration said.

Residents from 14 villages affected by the Gare Pelma Sector-I coal block in the Tamnar area have been staging a sit-in protest at CHP Chowk in Libra village since 12 December. The agitation is against a public hearing held on 8 December at Dhaurabhatha for the proposed mining project, which villagers allege was conducted in violation of prescribed norms.

The latest violence follows another major confrontation over coal mining in the state's Surguja district on 4 December, when more than 30 police personnel were injured in a clash with villagers protesting the Amera coal mine extension project in Parsodi Kala village. Officials said the protest over the expansion of the open-cast mine turned violent as demonstrators pelted stones at security forces, prompting police to use lathi charges and tear gas to disperse the crowd before mining activities resumed later that day.

The Gare Pelma coal block lies in an ecologically sensitive part of north-eastern Chhattisgarh, a region characterised by dense forests, fertile agricultural land and a high concentration of Adivasi communities. Environmental groups have warned that large-scale coal mining in the Tamnar–Dharamjaigarh belt could lead to deforestation, groundwater depletion, air pollution and contamination of local streams that support farming and drinking water needs.

Activists argue that the cumulative environmental impact of multiple coal blocks in the area has not been adequately assessed, even as mining-linked infrastructure — including coal handling plants, rail corridors and ash ponds — expands rapidly.

They also point to Chhattisgarh’s already high contribution to India’s coal output and question the need for further clearances in forested regions amid growing concerns over climate change and public health.

In a statement, the district administration said around 300 protesters gathered at the site on Saturday morning, with some blocking roads and disrupting traffic. Senior revenue and police officials intervened around 10 am and persuaded them to return to their designated protest area.

However, the crowd swelled to nearly 1,000 as people from nearby villages joined the agitation. Despite repeated appeals by officials to maintain peace, the crowd allegedly turned violent around 2.30 pm, breaking police barricades and attacking personnel with stones and sticks.

Sub-divisional police officer Anil Vishwakarma, Tamnar police station in-charge Kamla Pusam and a constable sustained serious injuries, while several other policemen, including women personnel, were also hurt. Officials said the injured were in stable condition, with some shifted to Raigarh for better medical care.

The administration said the mob later forced its way into the Jindal coal handling plant, setting fire to machinery and vehicles and vandalising offices. Stones were again hurled and another incident of arson was reported inside the plant, even after Raigarh collector Mayank Chaturvedi, superintendent of police Divyang Patel and local legislator Vidyawati Sidar arrived to defuse the situation.

Police said the situation remained tense but under control, with security stepped up across the area.

Collector Chaturvedi told reporters that villagers had been protesting peacefully for nearly 15 days and the administration had ensured basic facilities at the site. He alleged that “anti-social elements” provoked the crowd on Saturday afternoon, leading to stone-pelting and injuries to security personnel.

Villagers, however, alleged that tensions rose after police attempted to remove protesters from the site earlier in the day. One protester, Rajesh Singh Markam of Kasdol village, submitted a complaint to the Raigarh superintendent of police alleging threats from the local station house officer.

Several purported videos of the clashes circulated on social media, showing a woman police officer being assaulted by women in the crowd, while others were seen attempting to shield her.

Reacting to the incident, Chhattisgarh Congress president Deepak Baij termed the violence unfortunate and blamed it on what he described as the state government’s “stubbornness”.

He alleged that villagers and tribals protesting the coal block allotment and a “fake” public hearing were subjected to police lathi-charge at the behest of industrial interests, prompting retaliation. “The villagers were holding a peaceful agitation but were provoked by the government’s approach,” Baij said.

With PTI inputs