An armed clash broke out as the victims rallied to defend the plant against a demonstration by villagers angry about dust and noise pollution in Orissa state’s remote Bandaguda village, district police superintendent Nitinjit Singh said.
Police suspect the villagers set the seven on fire after locking them in a break room near the crusher before midnight Friday, Singh said.
Autopsies were being conducted on the charred bodies, which have been identified as the plant’s three owners, a security guard and other employees. No suspects have been arrested.
There has been tension over the issue since the crusher was set up a year ago on the village outskirts, about 250 miles (400 kilometers) from the state capital of Bhubaneswar.
Some complain the facility is noisy and fills the air with dust as it pulverizes boulders and rocks for material used in making cement and other building materials. Others who work at the plant claim they are often not paid on time or in full.
Other areas in India have also seen locals protesting stone crushers, as construction companies scramble for building supplies to keep up with a surge in construction fueled by India’s economic growth.
