Friends, doctors, and former colleagues of Dr Randall Sequeira have condemned his arrest and demanded his release. Randall was recently arrested on charges of instigating protests against bauxite mining in Odisha — a move that has largely been viewed as a targeted arrest in retaliation.
The 39-year-old doctor was taken into custody along with Dalit rights activist Laxman Naik on the night of October 16 in Odisha’s Kalahandi district. The two were remanded in judicial custody in connection with a case filed over a clash between police and Adivasis of the region protesting the construction of an approach road to the proposed Sijimali bauxite mine, which is being developed by Vedanta Limited.
The site of the approach road to the proposed mine, which is spread across Kalahandi and Rayagada districts, has been the centre of strong protests since May this year, when the Union forest ministry government approved the diversion of 4.911 hectares of forest land for the road.
Bengaluru-based Dr Nikhil Dhanpal, a friend of Randall, told TNM that Randall’s medical service revolved around rural communities and NGOs working on public health in remote areas from the get-go. According to Nikhil, a prolonged stint in Orissa while providing healthcare to Adivasi communities prompted Randall to understand larger systemic failures pervading their lives.
“He asked what was the point of prescribing anti-TB drugs, etc. when the nutrition is so poor, when they (Adivasi communities) live in such bad conditions, and they don't have access to clean drinking water and electricity and other basic needs?” said Dr Nikhil. “Dr Randall found it to be a systemic issue, and the fact that their basic rights, land ownership rights and more, are being taken away, is what I think led him down this path of figuring out how to improve their lives,” he added.
Randall, who completed his MBBS at St John's National Academy of Health Sciences (SJNAHS) Bengaluru, has received support from the institution and his former colleagues, along with members of the Medico Friends Circle and Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, with whom he has been associated for several years.
A statement signed by Father Jesudoss Ramanickam, the director of SJNAHS, described Randall as “a doctor dedicated to the noble mission of healing and serving people” and said it “earnestly hoped that this difficult situation will come to a peaceful resolution at the earliest”.
A statement of solidarity issued by MFC said that, as a long-standing member of MFC, Randall represented what “our network has stood for over five decades: that health cannot be separated from land, water, food, livelihood and dignity. Their dissent is not a crime. Health workers must never be persecuted for their work or for standing with the people they provide care for.”
Randall moved to Kalahandi district in Odisha in 2017 to work with organisations providing healthcare to Adivasi communities. After working with NGOs, he began providing healthcare independently, travelling to remote villages where access to doctors and hospitals is extremely limited.
His work has included running health camps, supporting community health workers and treating patients in villages affected by poor access to basic services.
Over the years, Randall became closely involved in supporting Adivasi communities opposing proposed bauxite mining in the Sijimali and Kutrumali hills by the London-based Vedanta group. The Sijimali hills are considered sacred to multiple Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in the region, including the Kondh tribe.
The region falls under Schedule V of the Constitution, which lays down a special administrative framework for Scheduled Areas and the protection of tribal communities. Laws such as the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA), and the Forest Rights Act, 2006, also recognise the role of Gram Sabhas in protecting community resources and forest rights.
The process of obtaining consent for the Sijimali mining project has been heavily contested. A petition before the Orissa High Court alleged that signatures of attendees at Gram Sabha meetings held across 10 villages in December 2023 were forged.
Local communities refer to the hill as “Tijimali” and regard it as the abode of Tijiraja, a deity worshipped in surrounding villages. The forests, agricultural land, and water sources around the hill are closely tied to their livelihoods. Residents have fiercely opposed the proposed project, arguing that it threatens their access to these resources.
On April 7, a clash broke out between police and residents opposing the construction of the road in Kantamal village in Rayagada district. More than 50 people were reported to be injured. Police alleged that protesters attacked security personnel with stones.
Nearly six months later, Dr Randall and Laxman Naik were arrested after police claimed their involvement in the clash and accused them of inciting violence amongst tribal villagers. Neither was named in the original FIR relating to the incident.
“From July 2023 to October 2026, about 60 leaders have been arrested in this region,” said Bhubhaneswar-based Anjali (name changed), a member of a legal solidarity network actively engaged in providing legal aid to tribal communities in the Rayaguda-Kalahandi region.
“We have copies of around 43 FIRs the police have filed against these leaders. These FIRs are basically for looting, armed robbery, attempt to murder, public unlawful assembly, almost the same kind of sections in FIR after FIR after FIR. They use these false FIRs as tools to intimidate community leaders,” she added.
The arrests have since prompted several protests in the region. On October 26, hundreds of Adivasis, Dalits, and members of different people’s movements gathered in Muniguda in Rayaguda district to demand the release of Randall, Laxman, and other arrested activists. They also demanded the withdrawal of police from their villages.
This article was written by a student interning with TNM.
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