52 Arrested For Creating Ruckus At Sundargarh’s Sponge Iron Plant

Rourkela: As many as 52 people were arrested on Monday for allegedly creating ruckus on Suraj Sponge Iron Plant premises at Rajgangpur in Sundargarh district.

The agitators under the aegis of Pathargadi Rudhibadi Manch had staged a demonstration in front of the plant alleging that the company had illegally acquired land of locals. Later, the agitators turned violent and ransacked a boundary wall, machineries and other equipment on the premises of the plant.

Following the incident, DIG Kabita Jalan accompanied by senior police personnel reached the spot and took stock of the situation.

“The situation is under control now. As many as 52 persons have been arrested and 140 others detained for the violent protest. However, investigation is on to ascertain the identity of the owners of the said land,” the DIG informed.

Meanwhile, Biswajit Mishra, a senior official of the company, told police that a few people had plotted the protest for their personal gains.

A total of five platoons of police force have been deployed at the spot to prevent any untoward incident.