"No process to seek the (tribal) community's informed consent has been established," said the human rights group in a report, the latest in a barrage of criticism over Vedanta's plans to mine bauxite in eastern India.

The human rights group accused the blue-chip company, which is listed on the London stock exchange, of callous treatment of the 8,000-strong Dongria Kondh tribe who live in the mineral-rich state of Orissa.

"The people of Orissa are among the poorest in India... their voices are being ignored by Vedanta," said Amnesty campaigner Ramesh Gopalakrishnan, who authored the group's report on the project.

The row over Vedanta's move to mine part of the Niyamgiri Hills, which the tribals believe is the home of their god Niyam Raja, has snowballed into an international controversy and cast a cloud over the company's public image.

Amnesty's call came days after the Church of England sold its six-million-dollar stake in Vedanta because it alleged the firm had not shown "the level of respect for human rights and local communities we expect."

India-focused Vedanta rejected Amnesty's allegations it had violated the rights of the tribe who depend on the Niyamgiri Hills for their crops and livelihood.

Vedanta, whose mining plans have been approved by India's Supreme Court but is still awaiting final clearance from the environment ministry, said it has "the highest respect for human rights."

The project "will deliver significant economic stimulus to the local community, especially historically underdeveloped areas of Orissa," the company added.

The proposed open-caste mine is intended to feed a nearby 900-million-dollar alumina refinery at Lanjigarh already built by the company.

Amnesty also alleged the refinery, which is currently being fed with bauxite from other Indian states, is already causing air and water pollution that "threatens the health of local people."

But a spokesman for Vedanta said this was impossible.

"This refinery is a world class. It is completely a zero-discharge refinery, there is no question of any leaking or pollution," he told AFP.

The mining plans are seen as a test case, pitting industrial development interests in India against those of indigenous peoples and the environment.

Vast tracts of India's mineral wealth lie in parts of the country that are home to indigenous tribes.

Vedanta insists it has "complied in all respects" with Indian regulations and is committed to improve the welfare of local people in the area.

Coinciding with Amnesty's attack on Vedanta's plans, Survival International, which campaigns on behalf of indigenous people, appealed to film director James Cameron to help it stop the mine in an ad in US entertainment magazine Variety.

Like the tribe in Cameron's blockbuster movie "Avatar," who are seeking to stop humans from mining under their sacred "home tree," the Dongria Kondh are trying to stop Vedanta from mining in the hills they worship, Survival said.

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