RANCHI, Jan. 20 -- The district administration cancelled a public hearing organised on Tuesday for a private coal mining project at a local football ground in Gondalpara under Barkagaon police station after it turned violent following a clash between two groups of villagers, officials said.

The hearing was being conducted by the Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board when a group opposing the project allegedly attacked another group supporting it in the presence of police personnel.

The situation escalated rapidly, triggering panic across the venue. A large number of attackers reportedly arrived on tractors, armed with traditional and sharp weapons such as spears, arrows and sickles. Many had their faces covered with masks, mufflers an...