Overview

• On June 4, villagers from Pedda Dhanwada and nearby hamlets attacked temporary shelters, construction machinery and staff property at the Gayathri Renewable Fuels ethanol plant worksite.
• Police registered arson and rioting charges at Rajoli police station and on June 5 arrested 12 people including farmers, remanding them in judicial custody and issuing notices to five others.
• Authorities are examining CCTV footage to track down additional participants in the unrest.
• Protesters warn that the grain-based plant could pollute local water bodies, degrade farmland and force shifts in crop cultivation that threaten food security.
• Similar resistance has emerged in Chittanur and Dilawarpur villages over allegations of effluent discharge, health hazards and companies hiring outside labor at lower wages.