Report on State’s Anti-Naxal Violence and Human Rights Violation for Resource Extraction in Fifth Scheduled Areas of Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh is rich in mineral resources, earning it the nickname "the mineral heart of India". The state boasts a wide variety of minerals, including coal, iron ore, bauxite, limestone, dolomite, tin concentrate, and even diamonds. It's a leading producer of coal and tin concentrate, and a major source of iron ore and bauxite.
Chhattisgarh is the sole producer of tin concentrates and moulding sand. It is one of the leading producers of coal, dolomite, bauxite and iron ore. The State accounts for about 36% tin ore, 20% iron ore (haematite), 18% coal, 11% dolomite and 4% each diamond & marble resources of the country.
Minerals in Different Districts of Chhattisgarh
Bauxite is produced at a rate of 36 units. It is found in the following districts:
1. Jashpur (specifically in Chichili Block and Kandai Block)
2. Sarguja
3. Kawardha (in areas such as Kabirdham, Narmadapur, Sukjhar, and Kamleshwarpur)
4. Bastar
5. Dantewada
6. Kanker
7. Bilaspur
8. Korba
9. Raigarh
Iron is produced at a rate of 20 units. The districts where it is found include:
Bastar (notably the haematite variety)
Dantewada (particularly in the Bailadila deposit)
Kanker (especially in the Chhote Dongar deposit in Rowghat and Chargaon)
Rajnandgaon (notably in the Metabodeli and Hahaladdi deposits)
Balod (in the Boria Tibbu deposits in Dalli-Rajhara)
Durg
Coal has a production rate of 18 units. It is extracted in the districts of:
Korea
Korba
Raigarh
Sarguja
Dolomite is produced at a rate of 11 units and is found in:
Bastar
Bilaspur
Durg
Janjgir-Champa
Raigarh
Raipur
Diamond, Marble, and Gold have a combined production rate of 4 units. They are located in:
Jashpur (Kanasbel)
Sarguja (Chandarpur)
Raigarh (Raigarh)
Raipur
Mahasamund
Dhamtari
Graphite is found in the district of Balrampur, particularly in the Oranga-Revatipur region.
Given such a rich presence of minerals, Chhattisgarh suffers from the resource-curse of displacement-induced impoverishment and dispossession. Most of the mineral rich districts such as Bastar, Jashpur, Raigarh, Sarguja, Korba and Kanker are Adivasi-populated areas. Chhattisgarh is home to 42 tribes, notably, Gond, Oraon, Munda, Nagesia, Kharia, Kanwar, Baiga and even particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs) like Abhujmadia, Baiga, Kamar, Birhor and Hill Korba.
1. Weakening laws that safeguard peoples’ rights
The Adivasi and other projects-based communities have been strongly against the displacement. Apart from the false promises of compensation and rehabilitation, the environment is also adversely affected. Alok Shukla, Raipur-based environmental activist, Goldmans Environment Winner and prominent member of the Hasdeo Bachao Andolan in Chhattisgarh worries about the gross environmental and democratic violations that the Chhattisgarh and the Central government makes for passing the mining projects. He says, “the government is soon amending the different laws that are critically beneficial to us to extract information. They are chocking transparency, accountability and right to information.” Shukla has worked in the movement to form and strengthen gram sabhas and community forest committees designated under the Forest Rights Act, 2006 (FRA).
2. State-led violence against innocent adivasi in the name of anti-naxalism operations
The areas of Bastar, Kanker, Dantewada and Sarguja are also areas that have heavy deployment of security forces. On 1 April 2025, the union Home minister, Amit Shah had announced Operation Khagar, to end the Left-Wing Extremism or Naxalism in Chhattisgarh by the next year 31 March 2026. In this race towards ending naxalism, several innocent villagers are killed by being falsely framed as Naxals. Long-term Dantewada-based human rights activist Soni Sori fearlessly and clearly speaks about the violation of the paramilitary forces in Dantewada and Bastar. Narayanpur, Dantewada and Bijapur are the most-heavily military deployed districts of Chhattisgarh. Another, community leader from Sarguja says, “there is five paramilitary/Police for every citizen in Odisha.” This is the status of heavy military deployment in Chhattisgarh. There have been three prominent incidents of police or state-violence against the innocent Adivasis in Chhattisgarh during Operation Kagar.
The Central government’s Operation Kagar, Home Minister Amit Shah’s cherished project to eliminate naxalism and burnish his political credentials, has unleashed unprecedented bloodshed in Chhattisgarh. In just the first three months of 2025, security forces have killed 140 alleged Maoists in the State (according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal website), already more than half of Chhattisgarh’s entire kill count for 2024 (235). The escalation is staggering compared with 2023, when only 23 alleged Maoists were killed in the State. This surge in killings directly correlates with the bounty system, which places price tags on human lives, with up to Rs.25 lakh being offered per dead naxalite.
Activist Soni Sori narrates the dangers of putting bounty on the naxals.
In several cases, the families of killed must travel far distances such as 80-100kilometres to retrieve the bodies of their dead. For example, when a resident of Dantewada is killed, their body is taken by the police of Bastar which is about 100 kilometres far. Or their bodies are even taken by the police of Narayanpur which is more than 100 kilometres. On being asked why the police take the dead bodies in another districts’ police station, they simply reply, “the police of that district killed the person, so they will take the body.” Sori demands, “Is this a hunting game for the police that whichever police force kills the person will take the body as prize!”
There is no provision for the safe and hygienic storage of the dead bodies. Sori further shows photos of several bodies that have been consumed by the maggots in the storage facility of the police. She further questions why the police department fails to allocate funds for the service of adivasi. She says that adivasi here is treated indecently even after their death.
There are reports of police forces dancing in celebration after killing the Adivasi. This is a complete negligence of the any discipline and sensitivity towards their own fellow citizens. Sori complains that the reason for such apathy is the hefty bounty amount put for killing naxals. The different forces want such amount and promotions and kill the villagers without correct verification. This has resulted in increased cases of fake encounters.
3. State-violence for resource extraction
The real objective of anti-Maoist operations in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand is to make Adivasis areas safe areas for corporate loot. These areas are rich in minerals and other natural resources. Big business houses have their eyes on them. The disagreement of the Gram Sabhas, various movements of non-cooperation and resistance of the Adivasis, progressive organizations fighting for the poor and the Maoists stand against this loot, Naturally, the government comes forward to protect corporate interests, administratively suppresses these protests. It uses every force to deprive the Adivasis and other groups of their legal rights and displace them.
Chhattisgarh is set to auction three promising iron ore blocks- Bailadila Deposit 01A, 01B and 01C situated in the renowned Bailadila range of Dantewada district.
The villagers of Kolar, Tekapani, Rowghat, Phulpad and Hurtarai of Kanker district have been protesting against the Rowghat Iron Mines. The villagers compain that the polluting water from the mines is destroying their farmlands and crops. The area is under the Fifth Scheduled Areas where the villagers have not consented to the project through the gram sabha. The Rowghat Mines is operated by the Bhilai Steel Plant of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL).
4. Exclusion through Privatisation
Villagers raise their concern against the increasing privatisation. Their concern is that the process of land acquisition and lease granting is done by the public sector of SAIL, however, the mines developer and operator (MDO) are the private companies that operate on contractual basis which makes it difficult to hold them accountable.
1. Notice issued to the Rowghat Iron mines affected people against blocking of trucks as law and order issue
The communities that have already lost their agricultural land for the railway’s development for SAIL under the Dallirajhara-Bhanupratapur-Jagdapur Railway Project tell their woes that they have not received any compensation or compensatory jobs. After 2009, there are successive rounds of land acquisition for railway that grossly underestimate the number of affected villagers. After acquisition, the private companies exclude the affected communities from availing the compensation by giving a long list of terms and conditions based on educational qualification and area of land acquired.
Conclusion:
It is important that the civil societies, human rights organisations and political parties become aware of such human rights violation in adivasi areas of Chhattisgarh. The nexus of state-sponsored violence and mineral extraction for private companies is clear. Chhattisgarh's mineral wealth has tragically become a curse for its Adivasi communities, who face relentless displacement, environmental degradation, and state-led violence. Despite constitutional protections and community resistance, government and corporate interests continue to override the rights of indigenous people through weakening of legal safeguards, militarisation under the guise of anti-Naxal operations, and privatisation-driven exclusion. From the forests of Bastar to the mines of Rowghat, the lived realities of Adivasis reflect systemic neglect and exploitation. True development must prioritize justice, community consent, and ecological balance—without which, Chhattisgarh’s growth will remain rooted in dispossession and unrest
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