Clashes Erupt in Parsodi Kala Over SECL Amera Mine Extension; Villagers, Police Injured

Violent clashes erupted on Wednesday in Parsodi Kala village as residents fiercely resisted the expansion of South Eastern Coalfields Limited’s (SECL) Amera open-cast coal mine, leaving several villagers and police personnel injured. Protesters pelted stones at security forces, while police resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the crowd that had stormed the mine premises, with videos of the confrontation quickly going viral on social media.

The confrontation stems from long-standing opposition to the Amera Extension Project despite land acquisition being legally completed in 2016. While some villagers accepted compensation at the time, many others refused and have continued to block mining activity, fearing permanent displacement and loss of livelihood. Resident Leelavati voiced the community’s anguish, stating, “We love the soil of our village, and we will not give it up. Our ancestors survived on this land—should my son and grandson be left to beg?”

Surguja Additional Collector Sunil Nayak confirmed that administrative officials and police reached the spot after receiving alerts about the protest. He maintained that SECL is fully authorised to proceed since the acquisition process followed due legal procedure and urged villagers to pursue grievances through courts rather than direct action. Despite attempts at dialogue, tensions escalated rapidly.

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Injured police personnel were rushed to the nearby primary health centre and district hospital, while several protesters also sustained injuries in the melee. Additional forces have been deployed to the area, which remains tense. Authorities are holding talks with village elders to restore calm and prevent further obstruction of mining operations.

The incident highlights a recurring flashpoint across Chhattisgarh’s coal belt, where tribal communities dependent on forest land frequently clash with expansion plans of Coal India subsidiaries. Environmentalists and local activists have long criticised the Amera project for threatening dense Sal forests and the livelihoods of Adivasi families.

As mining activity resumes under heavy security, the episode has reignited demands for more transparent rehabilitation packages and stricter adherence to the Forest Rights Act and PESA provisions before large-scale land acquisition in Scheduled Areas.

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