On the eve of 10th September 2026, the Odisha police and CRPF forces cordoned off the village of Kantamal and partially the village of Bondel, demonstrating its disregard for adivasi communities, their rights, and their dignity. A massive deployment of armed forces has restricted access to and movement from these villages.
The cordoning of these villages has been carried out arbitrarily, without any reasons stated and no information has been made available to the public. These restrictions raise serious concerns about the protection of the fundamental rights of the Adivasis.
This action came shortly after the arrest of Lado Sikoka, president of the Niyamgiri Surakhya Samiti who was returning home after securing bail at the Lanjigarh JMFC court.
This unleashing of state force is part of the sustained repression of the people of Tijimali, who have consistently resisted bauxite mining and attempts by large corporations to gain access to the region. The mainstream media has consistently failed to take up and report on these developments leaving the repression of these communities ignored.
The people of Tijimali and their Gram Sabhas have repeatedly asserted their opposition to mining and have raised serious concerns about attempts to manufacture and impose consent. The Gram Sabhas in the region have unanimously taken the decision to not allow bauxite mining in their land. Rather than respecting the decisions and democratic rights of the Gram Sabhas, the state has repeatedly resorted to coercion and the deployment of security forces to suppress any resistance to serve the interests of big corporations.
This is also not the first instance in which the state power has been deployed against Adivasi communities following their resistance to mining projects. We have seen the same pattern of state repression in Niyamgiri, Bastar and Hasdeo among other regions.
We demand that all security personnel must be immediately removed from the region and the mining project must be immediately scrapped. We stand in unwavering solidarity with the people of Tijimali.
JAL JANGAL JAMEEN ZINDABAD!
INQUILAB ZINDABAD!
