Over several years, global conglomerate, Tata (owners of, among others, Corus Steel and Tetley Tea), has been trying to open a major steel plant at Kalinga Nagar in the Indian state of Orissa.
It was forced to drop the plans in January 2006, after police opened fire on demonstrators, killing 14 tribal people and a policeman. For most of the intervening period, resistant locals maintained a road blockade on access to the factory site.
Last year, the Tatas were accused of financially assisting the Indian military’s “Operation Green Hunt” – which aims at wiping out Maoist guerrillas, operating in the indigenous hinterland. This claim was rebutted by Tata in early March. However, a number of prominent groups in Orissa now claim that Tata “goons”, aligned with the administration, have been harassing local people who oppose re-opening of the Kalinga Nagar plant site. In particular, they say, a non-violent local movement – the BBJM – is being falsely targeted as a “terrorist” front.
See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=10014.