The incident took place Wednesday night but came to light after the officials formally filed a complaint with the local police on Friday.

Around 100 people attacked the officials near Gadakujanga village, the land of which is to be handed over to the Indian subsidiary of South Korean steel major POSCO for the proposed $12-billion steel plant near Paradeep.

The officials were returning from the Bhitarkanika National Park in a jeep at night when they were detained and beaten up. The officials alleged that the protestors took away Rs.10,000, a digital camera and two mobile phones from them.

Thousands of people in five villages of Jagatsinghpur, including Dhinkia, Badakujanga and Nuagaon are opposing the project. They claim the plant will displace them and ruin their betel-leaf farming.

Posco, however, claims that its proposed plant will generate direct employment for 13,000 people and indirect jobs for 35,000 more.