On 7 April 2026, Adivasi and Dalit villagers opposing a bauxite mine in the Sijimali hills of Odisha's Rayagada and Kalahandi districts clashed with police, leaving about 56 to 58 police personnel and 20 to 25 villagers injured by official counts. Police say they were attacked while serving an arrest warrant; villagers say police raided Kantamal village at about 2 am. In August 2026 the Orissa High Court ordered a joint spot verification of the alleged police excesses.
Key takeaways
- On 7 April 2026 police clashed with Adivasi and Dalit villagers opposing a bauxite mine in Odisha's Sijimali hills, leaving 56 to 58 police personnel and 20 to 25 villagers injured by official counts.
- Rayagada SP Swathi S. Kumar said a crowd attacked officers "without any provocation" with stones, swords and axes on 7 April 2026 while they were serving a non-bailable warrant on mine opponent Sudarshan Majhi, and police used force "in self-defence".
- Villagers and the rights group PUDR say more than 200 police surrounded Kantamal village at about 2 am on 7 April 2026 after the power was cut, broke doors, fired tear gas and beat people with lathis.
- Vedanta Ltd won the Sijimali bauxite block at auction in 2023 and holds a 50-year lease over 1,549 hectares, including 699 hectares of forest land, in a Fifth Schedule area.
- Villagers and lawyers allege the December 2023 gram sabha consent for the Sijimali mine was manipulated, and fresh gram sabhas in August and September 2024 unanimously rejected mining.
- On 14 August 2026 the Orissa High Court ordered the Rayagada SP, a DSP and the sarpanchs of Kantamal and Sagabari to jointly inspect the site and report on alleged police excesses.
- Vedanta said it would be inappropriate to comment on the Sijimali clash because mining had not begun, and a challenge to the project is pending before the National Green Tribunal.
Background: the Sijimali lease
The Odisha government auctioned the Sijimali bauxite block in 2023, and Vedanta Ltd won it. Communities there have protested since then. The Wire In March 2023 the state granted a 50-year lease over 1,549 hectares, including 699 hectares of forest land. PUDR The deposit holds an estimated 311 million tonnes of high-grade bauxite. Vedanta plans to mine 9 million tonnes a year for 31 years. Mongabay
The hills lie in a Fifth Schedule area, where the Constitution gives special protection to Scheduled Tribes. Kondh and Dalit communities call the mountain Tijimali and worship the deity Tijraja there. Mongabay
Claim · Villagers and lawyers Consent is disputed. A gram sabha in December 2023 reportedly approved the project, but villagers allege manipulation: several gram sabhas held on one day with the same officials, and RTI records allegedly showing signatures of dead people and migrants. An NLSIU study reported gram sabhas held in two villages that were uninhabited in the 2011 Census. Fresh gram sabhas in August and September 2024 unanimously rejected mining. Mongabay
The local movement, Maa Mati Mali Suraksha Manch (MMMSM), has resisted since 2023, and a petition is pending before the National Green Tribunal. PUDR
The build-up in March and April
Claim · PUDR Before dawn on 11 March 2026, police and private persons raided Talaampadar village in Kalahandi, breaking doors and arresting 21 Adivasis, 10 of them women, on a complaint by a man described as a Vedanta supporter. They were charged under BNS sections including 109(1), attempt to murder, and denied bail. On 25 March, MMMSM advisers Lingraj Azad, president of the Samajwadi Jan Parishad, and Suresh Sangram were arrested. PUDR
Documented On 3 April the Rayagada Sub-Collector issued a prohibitory order under Section 163 of the BNSS, barring gatherings of more than four people within 100 metres of the road being built from Purlong to Sagabari Ghat. Police and paramilitary forces arrived near Sagabari to begin the 3 km road. Scroll Mongabay Villagers kept a vigil on the hills from 4 to 6 April. On 6 April about 250 villagers gathered to block construction, and media reported clashes when police moved to clear them. Mongabay
What happened on 7 April
The two sides describe very different events.
Police account
Officers went early in the morning to execute a non-bailable warrant against Sudarshan Majhi, a leader opposing the project who faces 14 criminal cases, including attempt to murder. A large crowd "surrounded and attacked" them, throwing stones and using swords, axes and other sharp weapons. "Locals launched an attack without any provocation," said Rayagada SP Swathi S. Kumar. "In self-defence, police were forced to use force to restore order." Police used tear gas and lathis. "The police found it difficult to retreat," she told The Times of India. OrissaPOST Scroll
Villagers' account
At about 2 am, after the power was cut, more than 200 police surrounded Kantamal. They broke doors, fired tear gas at people leaving their homes and beat them with lathis until morning. Two women suffered severe head injuries and houses were damaged. PUDR Mongabay CPI(M) Odisha secretary Suresh Chandra Panigrahi alleged blank shots were fired and called it a "reign of terror". OrissaPOST
Before we could understand anything, they (police) had dragged people out...
Subash Singh Majhi, Maa Mati Mali Suraksha Manch, to Mongabay, June 2026
Documented ETV Bharat, citing police, reported about 56 personnel injured, seven of them critical, including Rayagada SDPO Gourishankar Sahu and Kashipur station head Dev Mallick. ETV Bharat The SP put the figure at 58, with six moved to Visakhapatnam. Scroll OrissaPOST reported more than 100 people injured in total. OrissaPOST Activists said eight villagers were seriously hurt. The Indian Tribal
Timeline
Lease granted
50-year lease to Vedanta over 1,549 ha. PUDR
Stage-1 forest clearance recommended
For 708 ha. Mongabay
Talaampadar raid
21 Adivasis arrested, per PUDR. PUDR
Section 163 order
Road construction begins under prohibitory orders. Scroll
Kantamal operation and clash
Police and villagers injured. OrissaPOST
Final forest clearance
Stage-2 forest diversion granted. Mongabay
High Court orders spot check
Joint verification of alleged excesses. UNI
What others said
Vedanta said it would be inappropriate to comment because mining had not begun, and that it "remains committed to fulfilling all statutory and corporate social responsibility obligations". Scroll
A Concerned Citizens Forum of 60 people wrote to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi saying senior district officials were present when the violence broke out, and that almost a hundred people had been jailed since mid-2023. It asked for the orders, the lease and the road to be revoked and the cases withdrawn. Scroll District officials declined to comment to Mongabay in May. Mongabay
Outcome
- Injuries: 56 to 58 police and 20 to 25 villagers by official counts. The Indian Tribal
- Orders: Prohibitory orders extended for a month.
- Arrests: No arrest total for 7 April was found; activists cite about 100 jailed since 2023.
- Court: On 14 August 2026 a bench of Chief Justice Harish Tandon and Justice Chittaranjan Dash ordered the Rayagada SP, a DSP and the sarpanchs of Kantamal and Sagabari to jointly inspect the site and report. UNI
- Pending: The NGT case and that report. No prosecution of police was reported.
Questions people ask
What happened in Rayagada on 7 April 2026?
Police and villagers opposing a road to the Sijimali bauxite mine clashed near Sagabari and Kantamal. Police say 56 to 58 officers were hurt when a crowd attacked them; villagers say police raided homes at night.
Who owns the Sijimali bauxite mine?
Vedanta Ltd won the block at auction in 2023 and holds a 50-year lease. Mining had not begun at the time of the clash.
Why are villagers opposing the mine?
They say gram sabha consent was manipulated, and fear damage to forests, streams and a sacred mountain in a Fifth Schedule area.
Who is Sudarshan Majhi?
A local leader of the opposition to the mine. Police say he faces 14 criminal cases and that officers went to arrest him on 7 April.
Has any court acted?
In August 2026 the Orissa High Court ordered a joint spot verification of the alleged police excesses. A challenge to the project is pending at the NGT.
Sources
- Scroll: Over 50 police personnel injured in clash amid protests against mining, 8 Apr 2026
- PUDR: Stop attacks on villagers resisting mining in Rayagada and Kalahandi, 8 Apr 2026
- OrissaPOST: Over 100 injured in Vedanta mine clash, 7 Apr 2026
- ETV Bharat: Over 50 cops injured in clash over mining in Rayagada, 7 Apr 2026
- The Indian Tribal: Another Vedanta project faces opposition, 60 injured, 7 Apr 2026
- Mongabay India: A bauxite mining project, contested consent and growing tensions, 1 Jun 2026
- The Wire: Why tribes in Odisha's Sijimali are protesting against a Vedanta-owned bauxite mine, 12 Apr 2026
- UNI: Orissa HC directs probe into alleged police excesses, 14 Aug 2026