The Human Rights Forum (HRF) has expressed strong condemnation of the ongoing crackdown on Adivasi and Dalit communities in the Rayagada and Kalahandi districts of Odisha, India. The HRF described the situation as a troubling escalation in the criminalisation of democratic dissent. In a recent statement, HRF detailed incidents in Talaampadar and Kutamal villages, where police raids led to the arrest of 21 individuals, including a pregnant woman and minors. On April 7, security forces reportedly used tear gas on families while they were asleep. The HRF claims that the state is systematically targeting indigenous populations opposing a bauxite mining project, awarded to Vedanta Limited, which spans 1,500 hectares of ecologically sensitive land. Despite legal protections under the Fifth Schedule and the Forest Rights Act (FRA), the state has allegedly bypassed these safeguards through coercion. The HRF has called for an immediate halt to mining operations and the release of all detained protesters, framing the struggle in South Odisha as a critical fight for democratic rights and the preservation of indigenous identity.