Rourkela: A violent confrontation occurred in Odisha's Sundargarh district on Saturday, resulting in injuries to four individuals, including a government employee and two police officers, as security forces clashed with slum residents over land encroachment, according to police reports.

The altercation unfolded in the Barkani region of the Bandhamunda block when local authorities attempted to clear what they deemed illegal encroachments by primarily tribal slum dwellers on railway property, a senior police official stated.

This action was prompted by plans to construct a new railway line connecting Dumerta to the Rourkela Steel Plant.

The proposed line is part of the larger Howrah-Mumbai freight corridor, as confirmed by a railway representative.

During the confrontation, the protesting slum residents retaliated by throwing stones and using bows and arrows against the officials present to oversee the eviction. Among the injured were Additional Tehsildar Purusottam Nayak, two police officers, and a JCB operator.