Vedanta Ltd. said March 18 that a protest near its Lanjigarh alumina refinery in Odisha, India, became violent, leading to injuries and two deaths.

One local police officer and one protester died, the company said, citing hospital authorities.

About 70 locals started the protests. They were likely to be displaced due to the company commissioning a proposed project, The Times of India reported March 19.

The company said it will cooperate with authorities to investigate the incident and encouraged protesters to resolve issues through discussions.

This incident comes less than a year after India's Tamil Nadu state ordered the permanent closure of Vedanta's Tuticorin copper smelter following violent protests that killed 13 people in May 2018.