Raja Arrested, But What About Dilu? Keonjhar Mining Row Raises Fresh Questions

Raja Chakra and Kashvi International’s Champadihi pellet plant amid the Keonjhar mining controversy

By Sunil Jena
Editor-in-Chief, The Politics Odia

Bhubaneswar, : The arrest of BJD leader Soumya Sankar Chakra alias Raja in connection with the Gandhamardan Loading Agency case has brought renewed attention to the politics and business networks surrounding Keonjhar’s mineral economy. The Economic Offences Wing arrested Chakra in March 2025 after registering a case over alleged financial irregularities involving the loading agency.

Now, a separate controversy involving Kashvi International’s industrial activities at Champadihi has raised another set of questions.

The company’s proposed 0.6 MTPA iron ore pellet plant and producer-gas plant at Champadihi has been part of the formal environmental-clearance process. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change records show that the project was proposed at Champadihi, Jhumpura tehsil, Keonjhar district. A later Environmental Clearance appraisal document records a total land requirement of 7.94 hectares, or 19.62 acres, comprising 2.52 acres of private land and 17.1 acres of IDCO land.

A separate central environmental filing for Kashvi International’s proposed 1.2 MTPA iron ore beneficiation and 0.6 MTPA pellet plant records an existing project area of 24.28 hectares and identifies Plot/Survey Nos. 48/15 and 48/14.

The company’s regulatory footprint is therefore documented. What remains contested are allegations about whether all activities on the ground have complied with the applicable land, mining and environmental requirements.

From Raja’s Arrest to Questions Over the Champadihi Project

Raja Chakra’s case and the allegations surrounding Kashvi International are separate matters and should not be treated as one investigation.

The EOW case against Chakra relates to the Gandhamardan Loading Agency and Transporting Cooperative Society. According to the EOW investigation reported in March 2025, the agency had earned around Rs 185 crore between 2017 and March 2024, and investigators alleged financial irregularities involving its office-bearers and associated persons.

The Orissa High Court had rejected Chakra’s pre-arrest bail plea before his arrest. The court record, as reported at the time, concerned the investigation into the Gandhamardan agency case.

That case provides the backdrop for a political question now being raised in Keonjhar: if enforcement agencies acted against one set of allegations involving the district’s mineral economy, how should other complaints involving mining and industrial projects be dealt with?

Allegations Against Kashvi International

A complaint examined by The Politics Odia alleges several irregularities involving Kashvi International’s activities at Champadihi.

The complaint alleges diversion of an old nala, unauthorised extraction of natural stone, alleged use of Government land and concerns over forest and environmental compliance. It also seeks verification of an Intake Well and its possible impact on local water resources and the Kanpur Major Irrigation Project.

These remain allegations contained in a complaint and have not been independently established through a final government finding.

The complaint specifically asks the authorities to inspect the site, verify land records, measure and demarcate the concerned plots, check mining and minor-mineral permissions, and determine whether the alleged stone extraction was authorised and whether applicable royalty was paid.

That is important because the allegations are capable of being tested against official records.

Where Did the Stone Come From?

One of the allegations concerns the extraction of a substantial quantity of natural stone for construction.

If stone was extracted without the required permission, the questions are straightforward: where was it extracted, how much was removed, what permission existed, whether royalty was paid and where the material was used?

The answers should be available through mining records, permits, royalty records and a physical inspection.

The complaint also alleges that the extraction may have caused loss of Government revenue and violated applicable minor-mineral and environmental rules.

That claim needs to be established by the competent authorities.

The Tribal Land Allegations

The most sensitive allegations concern tribal land and members of the Munda community.

Claims have been made that more than 100 acres of tribal land have allegedly come under private control and that more than 30 Munda tribal residents have allegedly gone missing.

Neither claim has been established by the environmental-clearance documents reviewed for this story.

The land allegation requires verification through Records of Rights, mutation documents, acquisition proceedings, registered transactions and physical demarcation.

The missing-person allegation requires police records, complaints from families and local administrative verification.

Given the seriousness of the claims, they should not be dismissed—but neither should they be presented as established facts before an investigation establishes what happened.

The Mohan Majhi Question

Questions have also been raised over alleged proximity between Kashvi International’s leadership and Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.

The documents reviewed for this report do not establish that any political association influenced official action or inaction.

The more concrete question is whether the district administration and the concerned departments have examined the complaints independently.

If all permissions are in place and the allegations are incorrect, an official inspection can establish that.

If violations are found, the same process should identify responsibility and trigger action under the applicable law.

The Bigger Question for Keonjhar

Keonjhar’s mineral economy has repeatedly produced questions about the relationship between mining, local communities, Government revenue and regulatory enforcement.

The Raja Chakra case demonstrates that allegations connected to the district’s mineral economy can reach the criminal-investigation stage when agencies find grounds for action.

The Kashvi controversy is different. It currently involves regulatory and land-related allegations that require verification.

That distinction matters.

One case cannot automatically be used to establish another.

But the standard of accountability should remain the same.

If there is a violation, investigate it. If there is no violation, establish that through the records.

That is the question now facing the Keonjhar administration.

The allegations surrounding Champadihi deserve a transparent examination because they involve not only an industrial project but also questions concerning land, water, mining regulation and tribal rights.

And if the allegations concerning missing Munda residents are formally supported by evidence, that issue would require a separate and immediate response from the law-enforcement and administrative authorities.

Sunil Jena’s Observation

Raja Chakra’s arrest and the allegations surrounding Kashvi International are separate matters, but both underline the importance of regulatory accountability in Keonjhar’s mineral economy. The Kashvi-related claims should now be tested through land records, mining documents, environmental permissions and field inspection. If the allegations are substantiated, action should follow; if they are not, the official findings should be made public.

Author Profile

Sunil Jena: Sunil Jena is the Editor of The Politics Odia, an independent digital platform that delivers fearless political analysis, ground reports, and investigative stories from Odisha. Known for bold storytelling and grassroots connections, Sunil is shaping a new era of regional journalism.