Rights groups and the Opposition have condemned the arrests of doctor Randall Sequeira and Dalit activist Laxman Naik in Odisha, alleging that the police action is part of a wider crackdown on Adivasi and Dalit communities opposing mining projects.
Sequeira and Naik were arrested on the night of October 16 in Bhawanipatna town in Kalahandi district, in connection with a case linked to an April clash between police and residents in the Rayagada district.
The clash took place during protests against a road project linked to Vedanta Limited’s proposed Sijimali bauxite mine.
Both activists have been charged with offences, including attempted murder and rioting, and booked under the Arms Act, PTI quoted the police as saying.
The police have alleged that two had instigated Adivasi residents to attack security personnel during the protest in April.
However, civil society groups and Opposition leaders have questioned the arrests, pointing out that neither activist was named in the first information reports relating to the April clash.
Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, a public health non-governmental organisation, on Sunday demanded the immediate and unconditional release of both activists.
The group also demanded the withdrawal of all cases against them and an independent inquiry into “the larger process of intimidation, arrests and threats in the entire area”.
In a statement, the group said that Sequeira had worked with Adivasi communities...