Guyanese officials investigate alleged police beating of Indians during anti-mining protest

GEORGETOWN, Guyana – Officials in Guyana say they are investigating the alleged beating of native Indians by police during an anti-mining protest.

Mines Minister Robert Persaud said Monday that he had ordered an emergency meeting for the government's mines commission to look into an alleged clash between police officers and miners that was captured on camera and posted to the Internet.

Persaud said authorities want to curb illegal mining in an area populated mostly by native Indian tribes.

The decision comes days after an inquiry found police guilty of killing three protestors at a mining town last July.

Indian rights groups in recent months have protested mining concessions that have been given out on ancestral lands. They say mining pollutes rivers and chases away wildlife.