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HRD Attack

Somnath Dugga - Rowghat Sangharsh Samiti

Incident date
31 May 2022
Date accuracy
All Correct
Somnath Dugga
Male
Rowghat Sangharsh Samiti
Environmental concerns group, Affected community's leader or member
Torture & ill-treatment
Target: Individual
Location of Incident: India
ACB Mining Private Limited India Metals & steel, Mining
Other actors

Sources

Somnath Dugga is an Indian environmental defender and a member of Rowghat Sangharsh Samiti, an organisation fighting against the Rowghat iron-ore mining project in Adivasi lands, in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district. He is also the Gram Patel (traditional village headman) of Anjarel village in Narayanpur, located on the edge of the mine, and has participated in numerous peaceful protests against the project in the past few years. On 31 May 2022, he was severely beaten by the police until lost consciousness, detained, and allegedly tortured in the forest. Five of his family members were also reportedly attacked and threatened by the police and asked not to report the incident. The attack follows Samiti's legal complaint to authorities about illegal mining activities on 12 April, 2022.

The Steel Authority of India Ltd. (SAIL) owns the largest block of the Rowghat iron-ore mining project. Their major steel production unit is the Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP). In 2017, SAIL's Bhilai Steel Plant has appointed ACB Mining Private Ltd as developer and operator for the Rowghat iron ore mines.