Anti-power Plant people gherao Police Station

ANGUL: Protesting the midnight arrest of 11 anti-JR Power Plant leaders, hundreds of locals under the banner of Jiban Jibika Krusijami Suraksha Samiti laid siege to Kishorenagar Police Station in Athamallick sub-division on Friday.They demanded immediate release of those arrested while police forwarded the latter to court early in the morning.Ramani Ranjan Pradhan, local sarpanch, described the arrest as means to silence the peaceful opposition by the local people against the proposed JR Power Plant. He said locals after staging various forms of agitations finally are on dharna  at  the proposed plant office site and Baradamalia since March 10 to press Government  to scrap  the project.Police authorities said they had to arrest those persons in connection with the assault on an assistant engineer of Rural Development Department recently who had gone to that area for works.As tension prevails, senior officials have rushed to the spot.