Bailadila protests reignite over mining; youth rally ‘to defend Bastar’s ecology’

Raipur: Protests reignited on the Bailadila hills in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district, where local youth and several political parties launched a fresh agitation against the proposed mining of deposit number 4 and alleged attempts to hand it over to private entities.Dozens of young protesters held a large bike rally on Sunday and then trekked several kilometres up the hill, where they staged a sit- in and raised slogans demanding protection of Bastar's ''jal-jungle-zameen' (water-forest-land). The agitation, which began as a youth-led movement, drew support from the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the CPI, who said that the protests will go on. Addressing the gathering on the hilltop, local Congress leader Chhavindra Karma said the struggle is not just about one mine lease but about the survival of Bastar's ecology."These forests and hills give life to Bastar. We have launched this fight to save them. Our protest will continue against mining at deposit number 4 all the way to deposit number 13," he said. Karma announced that protesters would march to Deposit number 13 on Jan 26, 2026, as part of the next phase of the agitation.A youth leader Rahul Mahajan said the Bailadila landscape is home to several rare species and acts as a natural oxygen bank for Bastar."These forests are home to countless rare animals. The entire region gets its oxygen from here. To pave the way for mining, this area was deliberately excluded from the Bhairamgarh wildlife sanctuary boundary, even though many species frequently move through these forests," Mahajan alleged. He said the community believes the govt is "determined to destroy the hills" for commercial gain, ignoring environmental consequences. "If excavation begins, the damage to biodiversity and the fragile ecosystem will be irreversible. Our movement will continue," he added. Protesters carrying the national flag said their resistance is rooted in the belief that Bailadila's hills, rivers and forests form the cultural and ecological backbone of Bastar.Slogans echoed across the hilltop as groups vowed to intensify the agitation in the coming weeks, turning the movement into one of the region's strongest grassroots environmental mobilisations in recent years.Police monitored the situation from a distance, and no untoward incidents were reported till evening.The protests marked a significant political and social pushback against mining expansion in Bailadila, a region long at the centre of debates over development, tribal rights and environmental conservation.