Anti-Posco activists booked for semi-nude protest

Bhubaneswar: At least 31 people, including women, were booked for protesting in a semi-nude condition against South Korean steel major Posco`s plant in Odisha`s Jagatsinghpur district two days ago, police said Saturday. Some of the women allegedly entered a prohibited area, took off their clothes and clashed with police in Gobindpur village, about 120 km form here Thursday. At least 15 people, including five police personnel, were injured in the clash.

Police have registered cases against 31 people, District Superintendent of Police Satyabrata Bhoi told IANS. A case has also been registered against Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti president Abhaya Sahu for abetting the incident, Bhoi said. Posco`s proposed 12 million tonne per annum steel plant - the largest foreign investment in India - is to come up near the port town of Paradip, about 120 km from here. The local administration claimed it acquired about 2,000 acres of land in the region in 2011 and about 300 acres in recent months. It has set up a police camp at Gobindpur to acquire the remaining land in the area for the project. IANS