Tribal villagers and the administration are at loggerheads over bauxite mining at the Sijimali hill, which straddles Rayagada and Kalahandi districts in south Odisha. Tension has gripped the region ever since attempts were made to lay a road to a bauxite block. On April 7, police fired tear gas shells to disperse protesting villagers and several personnel were injured in the counter-attack. Satyasundar Barik explains why it is not an isolated incident