In April 2017, the residents of Alnar village in Kunakonda tehsil in Dantewada launched an organised opposition to the development of an iron ore mine on 31.55 hectares of protected forestland. The villagers claimed that they had no information about the mining project until the company, Aarti Sponge and Power Limited, started surveying the region.
The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change granted Stage-II forest clearance to an iron ore mining project in Alnar village on 22 March 2017. According to news reports, the local people claimed that the administration did not seek the consent of the Gram Sabha for diverting the forestland. This violates the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996, as the village is listed as a Schedule V area.
Meanwhile, according to the environmental clearance report, the administration had conducted a public hearing on 30 September 2016, at Van Kashtagar in Dantewada. The proceedings, submitted to the Chhattisgarh Environment Conservation Board, states that around 150 people attended the meeting and 91 signed the attendance register. However, it does not mention anyone from Alnar village.
In September 2016, the district administration had submitted a letter to the environment ministry stating that the villagers had said “no to the title”. However, the people claimed they were unaware of giving any such consent.
Subsequently, in May 2017, the Alnar Gram Panchayat passed a resolution against the mining project. The village residents submitted letters to the president, chief justice of India, justice of the Chhattisgarh high court, the state governor and the chairperson of the National Scheduled Tribes Commission, requesting action on the issue. They also filed complaints with the district and block administrations. However, the government allegedly did not make an attempt to address the grievances.
According to a 2019 news report, the Dantewada administration has not settled the rights claims of villagers under the Forest Rights Act, 2006.
A local journalist, also a resident of Alnar, told LCW that the villagers did not receive any notices about the public hearing and that it was likely that the people present in the hearing were from other villages. He further informed LCW that the forestland, allocated for mining, was used by tribespeople for their livelihood activities and that they would continue to oppose the mine as it affected their livelihood.
The company's projected mining operations start date (2021) passed without operations commencing. In June 2024, employees of Dev Mining Company—a subcontractor for Aarti Sponge—arrived with police to demarcate the allocated area, but villagers successfully prevented the demarcation. In July 2024, communities held a protest rally at Alnar and submitted a memorandum through the SDM to President Droupadi Murmu demanding cancellation of the lease. Nanda, a resident of Alanar, told the Down To Earth, "Our livelihoods depend on Taral Metta. This mountain is home to our deities and we will fight tooth and nail to prevent any mining activity."
Adivasi leader Manish Kunjam warned that ceding one mountain would open the door for private companies to take over the entire Bailadila range, and that communities would not stop resisting simply because Naxalism had declined. Activist Soni Sori accused the company of deliberately fracturing the unity of the Jan Sangharsh Samiti by creating factions among local leaders, and alleged threats and intimidation against community members. Critics also noted that company documents themselves state only 171 jobs would be created despite 23 villages being affected. In November 2024, over 5,000 villagers gathered in a major protest rally demanding cancellation of the lease and investigation into the fraudulent Gram Sabhas of 2014 and 2019. These protests have continued in 2026 with activists warning of further escalation if their demands are not met.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Complaint against procedural violations
Refusal to give up land for the project
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Region Classification
Rural
Type of Land
Common and Private
Forest
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)
Status of Project
Project underway despite protests
Original Project Deadline
Whether the Project has been Delayed
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Other Natural Resource extraction/dependence
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
150
Type of investment:
Cost of Project
Year of Estimation
2017
Has the Conflict Ended?
No
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Forest and Scheduled Area Governance Laws, Land Acquisition Laws, Land Acquisition Laws, Environmental Law
Legislations/Policies Involved
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute
What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?
What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?
Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:
Non-implementation/violation of FRA
Legal Status:
Out of Court
Status of Case In Court
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
Yes
Name of the adjudicatory body
National Commission for Scheduled Tribes
Name(s) of the Court(s)
Case Number
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
Reported Details of the Violation:
Date of Violation
Location of Violation
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
State Level Environment Impact Assesment Authority, Dantewada District Administration
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
No
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Aarti Sponge and Power Limited
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
No
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
Maria and Muria tribes; Jan Sangharsh Samiti
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?
