Bhubaneswar: The Orissa High Court today directed the court-appointed five-member committee which had earlier visited strife-hit Dhinkia village in Jagatsinghpur district to probe allegations of police atrocities, to conduct public hearings.
The High Court today directed the committee to once again visit the disturbed village on March 5 and conduct public hearing.
The High Court has directed the district Collector, SP to make all necessary arrangements for conduct of public hearing. They have been also directed to see to it that the sides supporting and opposing the proposed JSW steel plant project should participate and share their views without any fear in the public hearing.
Further, the High Court directed the committee to submit its report within three days.
The date for the next hearing on the petition has been fixed on March 11.
Last Saturday, supporters and protesters of the proposed steel plant clashed during the visit by the committee’s visit to Dhinkia.
In the incident, five people including the priest of Phulakhai temple, two women and a child, were injured.
It may be mentioned here that over a hundred villagers including women protesting against the proposed JSW project at Dhinkia village were injured on January 14 last in police lathicharge after a face-off between the villagers and police for about two hours.
The scuffle between the villagers and the police had taken place when the latter tried to stop them at the entry point to their village from taking out a rally against the JSW project.
