Tension prevailed in front of the IOCL Paradip Refinery on Monday as agitating farmers scuffled with police when they attempted to barge into the plant during their demonstration.
Over a thousand farmers whose lands have been acquired for the refinery project along with women and their children, have been staging a dharna in front of the refinery for the last three days demanding permanent jobs in the plant. During the protest, the activists took out rallies and staged an economic blockade disrupting production at the refinery.
To avoid a law and order situation, police on Sunday detained over a hundred agitators from the spot and took them into preventive custody.
Protesting the police action, the agitators under the banner of the Jamihara Krushak Ekta Manch intensified their stir and attempted to enter into the refinery. When police personnel at the spot tried to disperse the mob, there was a scuffle between them.
It was alleged that some police personnel misbehaved with a few media personnel, who had gone to report the agitation.
Additional police forces were deployed at the spot to avert any further untoward incident.