At least two dozen police personnel were injured when violence broke out and stones were pelted by villagers protesting against mining in Chhattisgarh’s Surguja on Wednesday (December 3, 2025).
The villagers, residents of Parsodi Kala village, were opposing the Amera extension coal project of the South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL), a subsidiary of Coal India Limited. The protesters claimed that their lands were being taken away. The land acquisition process for the said project was completed in 2016, a district administration official said.
“Some villagers had received compensation for land acquisition, but many others refused to accept money and tried to obstruct mining operations,” Additional District Collector Sunil Nayak told journalists. Officials tried to explain to the villagers that land acquisition had already been completed, and they should allow SECL to carry out its authorised activities.
However, despite the explanation, the protest turned violent, he added. Surguja Superintendent of Police Rajesh Agrawal told The Hindu that about “24-25 policemen” had been injured after villagers threw stones with their hands and slings.
The villagers claimed they had also been injured by stones and during lathicharge by the police. Mr. Agrawal denied the allegations but said that the police lobbed teargas shells to disperse the protesters. Visuals of villagers pelting stones, and police using teargas also surfaced online.
Land for agriculture was their only source of livelihood and it was being taken away, which they opposed, some protesters said.
Leelavati, a protester from Parsodi Kala, said she would not give up her land. “We love our land and do not want to give it away. SECL will get coal, but what will happen to us? Our ancestors lived and earned their livelihood from this land…. Should my son and grandson be reduced to begging? Our entire land is being taken for the mine,” Ms. Leelavati told journalists near the protest site.
There were legal avenues available if the villagers wanted to raise their concerns, Mr. Nayak said.
The Opposition Congress, meanwhile, attacked the ruling BJP government over what it called “mining forcefully”.
“Ever since the Bharatiya Janata Party government was formed in the State, there have been efforts to suppress the voices of tribals and villagers, and there has been a trend of mining forcefully. Under pressure from Adani (conglomerate), maximum coal mines have been given to them. Deforestation is happening and the government is providing patronage. Now people are opposing the SECL, too, because permission for mining has been granted without obtaining the consent of the villagers,” Congress spokesperson Sushil Anand Shukla said.
Published – December 03, 2025 09:14 pm IST
