A 16-member fact-finding team comprising members of the Coordination of Democratic Rights Organisations that investigated violation of human rights in the villages in Niyamgiri hills in Kalahandi district has urged the Odisha government to close down the Vedanta alumina refinery at Lanjigarh without delay. The team demanded a judicial inquiry into the suspicious death of Havildar Major Sujit Minz by a sitting judge of the High Court, and requested for no arrest till the inquiry is over. Minz had died during a clash between villagers and security personnel outside the refinery gate on March 18. The team members demanded that the tribals should be provided basic necessities such as school, teachers, drinking water and healthcare. The fact-finding team concluded that the villagers living near the refinery were facing severe health problems because of dust coming from the red mud pond (waste generated by the refinery) site.

Source: The Hindu May 01, 2019 20:37 UTC