Several injured as violence erupted during protest in Hasdeo forest

Violence broke out in Chhattisgarh's Hasdeo forest on Thursday when local residents attempted to prevent authorities from cutting down trees, leading to clashes with the police. Several protesters and 13 police officers were injured, along with minor injuries sustained by the deputy collector and a revenue employee.

The tree-felling was planned near Fatehpur and Sali villages in Surguja district as part of the Parsa coal block mining project awarded to the Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (RRVUNL). However, the mining operations are under the hands of the Adani group.

One officer, constable Bholaram Rajwade, sustained a serious leg injury from an arrow and was taken to Raipur for treatment.

Surguja Superintendent of Police Yogesh Patel refuted claims that the violence erupted after police used batons against the protesters. “The villagers got violent and attacked us. To stop and disperse them, we responded appropriately,” he said.

“Our force is present at the site, but tree-cutting has been stopped,” the SP added.

Earlier in March this year, in the Hariharpur village of Surguja district, a peaceful protest aimed at protecting the Hasdeo forest was ongoing for over two years. The site was deliberately set on fire in an attempt to disperse the dedicated protestors.

Already a long struggle

This year, Alok Shukla, a prominent environmental activist from Chhattisgarh, was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize, often referred to as the Green Nobel. He received this honor for his efforts in protecting Hasdeo Arand, a vast area of dense forest spanning 170,000 hectares in central India, which contains 23 coal blocks. Shukla spearheaded a successful community campaign that preserved 445,000 acres of biodiversity-rich forests from 21 proposed coal mines in Chhattisgarh. In July 2022, the government canceled plans for these 21 coal mines in Hasdeo Aranya, whose pristine forests are often called the lungs of Chhattisgarh and represent one of the largest intact forest regions in India.

However, the violence on October 17 has reignited the debate over conservation, as tribals and police clashed, each blaming the other for instigating the conflict.

Opposition speaks

Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, criticized the BJP government in Chhattisgarh regarding the incident.

हसदेव अरण्य में पुलिस बल के हिंसक प्रयोग से आदिवासियों के जंगल और ज़मीन के जबरन गबन का प्रयास आदिवासियों के मौलिक अधिकार का हनन है।

छत्तीसगढ़ में कांग्रेस की सरकार के दौरान विधानसभा में सर्वसम्मति से हसदेव के जंगल को न काटने का प्रस्ताव पारित हुआ था - 'सर्वसम्मति' मतलब विपक्ष…

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 17, 2024

“The effort to forcibly seize the forests and lands of the tribals in Hasdeo Aranya through violent police action is a violation of their fundamental rights. While the Congress government was in power in Chhattisgarh, the Assembly unanimously passed a resolution against cutting down the Hasdeo forest—'unanimous' meaning it included the support of the opposition, including the BJP. However, once they assumed power, they have disregarded both this resolution and the rights and struggles of the original inhabitants of Hasdeo,” he wrote on X.