BHUBANESWAR: Widespread resentment is growing against the state government for suddenly sending armed police forces to suppress agitating villagers and acquire their lands for the Posco project which has been entangled in a host of litigations. The government renewed the process of land acquisition for the South Korean steel giant on Sunday even though the National Green Tribunal had earlier suspended the final environmental clearance (EC) given to it by the ministry of environment and forest (MoEF).

Hundreds of police forces swooped down on Gobindapur village early on Sunday morning and seized the entire area from all sides as officials started pulling down betel vines, one of the major source of livelihood for the local tribals. The government had earlier conducted a similar exercise and claimed to have taken possession of over 2,000 acres of land from the villagers.