A rights activist has been arrested in Kalahandi district for allegedly obstructing development works and establishment of a CRPF camp in western Odisha, police said.
Lingaraj Bag alias Azad was picked up from his village at Kandel under the jurisdiction of Kesinga police station on Wednesday in connection with two criminal cases, Additional Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar Mahanta said.
Azad is the convenor of Niyamgiri Suraksha Samiti (NSS), a movement to protect western Odishas Niyamgiri hills from mining and industrialisation. He is also convenor of Samajbadi Jana Parishad, another outfit.
He has been accused of obstructing development works in Niyamgiri area, causing disturbance in setting up a CRPF camp at Trilochanpur, instigating public against the administration and intimidating people and officials by abusing and show of arms, the ASP said.
The accused along with four others on February 18, 2019 had caused disturbance in the construction work of the CRPF camp at Trilochanpur by abusing and threatening officials and the police. They were threatening the CRPF officials not to set up a new camp for the security forces there, he said.
The ASP said the accused also disturbed development works in the area and instigated locals against government machinery.
Azad has also been charged for staging a protest demonstration outside the Vedanta refinery plant at Lanjigarh on the foothills of Niyamgiri in April 2017.
A case had been registered at Lanjigarh police station in April 2017 in this regard.
The accused was produced before a court here and remanded in judicial custody for 14 days, the police said.
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