By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, March 18, 2019: Two people were killed on Monday morning hours when agitators gathered near Vedanta Ltd’s project office at Lanjigarh, demanding proper rehabilitation and jobs clashed with Odisha Industrial Security Force (OISF).

Some 100 protesters who gathered there belonged to the displaced families whose lands have been acquired to accommodate expansion of the red mud pond of Vedanta’s refinery.

For quite long time, they have been protesting for early solution to the vexed problems. The talks between the displaced families and the Vedanta authorities did not yield any positive result.

With the agitators raising slogans and demanding immediate solution to their demands, the OISF personnel tried to disperse them which led to a violent clash between the groups, sources said adding that people were injured from both sides and the injured were immediately rushed to the local hospital.

“According to the hospital authorities, one protester and one OISF staff have succumbed to injuries. We are deeply saddened by the news and we offer our condolences to the families of the deceased. We will work with full cooperation with the appropriate authorities who will be looking into the incident. We sincerely appeal to the protesters not to resort to such acts when every situation can be resolved amicably through discussions”, said a spokesperson with Vedanta Ltd’s Lanjigarh unit.