By IANS,
Bhubaneswar : A former Odisha legislator was arrested Saturday for his role in the Dec 14 clashes near the Posco steel plant site in Jagatsinghpur district in which one person was killed, police said.
N. Narayan Reddy, a Communist Party of India (CPI) leader who represented Chhatrapur assembly constituency from 2004 to 2009, was arrested from Erasama area of Jagatsinghpur, a senior district police officer told IANS.
The clashes had erupted after hundreds of villagers did not allow workers to carry out the construction of a road in the region. Work contractor Bapi Sarkhel, who allegedly incited the workers against the villagers’ anti-Posco agitation, has already been arrested.
The 10-km coastal road will help authorities speed up work for the South Korean steel major Posco’s $12 billion project for a composite steel and power plant, the country’s largest foreign direct investment.
Reddy was heading the villagers’ agitation after protest leader Abhaya Sahu was arrested by police last month on various charges.
With the latest arrest, the number of people held for their role in the violence has risen to seven.