Activists have demonstrated against the British mining company Vedanta in London, outside the building where the company's annual general meeting was being held.

They were protesting the company's plans to mine bauxite in the eastern Indian state of Orissa.

The project site is home to the Kondh tribe, which says the opening of the bauxite mine will destroy a large part of the Niyamgiri Mountain and its environs with which they have lived in harmony for generations. They point out that Vedanta has been there for only 10 years.

Vedanta is about to start operations for mining bauxite in the Niyamgire hills for processing at a refinery that has been set up in the area.

Bauxite mining and the metallurgical processes for producing aluminium from the ore are extremely damaging of the environment.

Vedanta and its associates have been accused of using strong arm methods to evict people from the site.

Vedanta however maintains the project is ethically and environmentally sound.

Spearheading the protest is rock star Mick Jagger's ex wife Bianca Jagger, a noted social and human rights advocat. Jagger, a former actress and fashion icon, has been assured support by UK-based campaign groups, including ActionAid and Survival International.

The demonstrators used yellow diggers to drive home their point that opening up the region for mining would be akin to launching an assault on the Niyamgiri hills, which are venerated by the tribal people.

Action Aid bought a single share in Vendanta for Sitaram Kulisika to enable him to represent the Kondh trine in the meeting.

He said last year Vedanta directors had promised not to mine without the consent of the tribals. He added that he had come to attend the meeting and request all shareholders to live up to the promise and save their livelihood and their god, he said ahead of the meeting.

Critics have slammed the Vedanta operation as a social and environmental disaster.

Meanwhile, Jagger has called on investors including the Church of England and a few councils to do a rethink on their association with Vedanta.

The Church holds £2.5-million worth of shares in UK-based mining giant Vedanta, which has most of its operations in India.

The company says it remains committed to developing the project in accordance with international standards and points out that the Supreme Court has approved the project.