CASR Condemns State-Corporate Nexus in Odisha’s Tijmali Region, Demands Release of Arrested Adivasis

Bhubaneswar– The Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) has strongly condemned the alleged state repression, mass surveillance, and criminalisation of Adivasi and Dalit communities in the Tijmali region of Rayagada and Kalahandi districts in Odisha. In a press statement issued today, the rights body expressed unwavering solidarity with local residents, particularly women, who have been defying prohibitory orders to protect their ancestral lands from proposed mining projects.

CASR alleged that prohibitory orders restricting assembly have been imposed not for public safety but to facilitate bauxite mining by the Vedanta corporation. “Under the guise of ‘development,’ roads are being constructed not for public welfare but to enable corporate entry into ecologically sensitive areas,” the statement read.

The organisation pointed to pre-dawn raids in Talampadar on March 11, in which 21 Adivasis, including women, a pregnant woman, and mothers of infants, were arrested. CASR claimed that force was used, homes were destroyed, and testimonies of physical abuse and humiliation have emerged, calling it “a systematic attempt to terrorise the population into submission.”

Expressing alarm over rising militarisation in the region, CASR cited large police deployments, drone surveillance, arbitrary arrests, and fabricated cases against community leaders. The group accused the state administration of functioning in a nexus with Vedanta to push mining projects in constitutionally protected Scheduled Areas, warning of large-scale displacement, forest destruction, and loss of biodiversity.

CASR has issued the following demands:

• Immediate withdrawal of all prohibitory orders in the region

• Release of all arrested Adivasis and withdrawal of false cases

• An independent judicial inquiry into police violence and illegal arrests

• An immediate halt to all mining-related activities in Tijmali and surrounding areas

• Recognition and respect for Adivasi constitutional rights, including Gram Sabha consent under the Fifth Schedule

The organisation called upon democratic rights groups, progressive organisations, and citizens to raise their voices in solidarity with the people of Tijmali, quoting the community’s assertion: “Until our last breath, we will struggle to protect Tijmali.”

The CASR organising team includes multiple national and regional bodies such as AIRSO, AISF, APCR, Bhim Army, NTUI, People’s Watch, and United Peace Alliance, among others.