The Adani Group is facing allegations of racism at its coal unit in Australia after an Aboriginal group lodged a complaint with the country’s Human Rights Commission, the news agency reported. Reuters.

Cultural custodians Nagana Yarrbayn Wangan & Jagalingou in the state of Queensland said they lodged a complaint outlining serious racial discrimination by the entity, Bravus Mining and Resources, earlier this week.

The complaint details how Adani employees attempted to “verbally and physically obstruct and prevent” Aboriginal group members from accessing springs near Adani’s Carmichael coal mine “to perform cultural rites and share cultural knowledge”.

“We have endured years of discrimination and denigration from Adani and we can’t take it anymore,” Nagana Yarrbayn Senior Cultural Custodian Adrian Burragubba said in the statement.

He said the Adani group had been informed of their conduct by lawyers since last year but refused to take action.

“Legal recourse is the only answer,” he added.

A spokesperson for Bravus Mining and Resources “completely denied” the group’s allegations, saying it was an attempt to stop Bravus from telling its side of the story and “sharing facts with the public about our interactions with it and the members of his ‘Family Council’.”

The statement from the Bravus facility said the mine was operating safely and responsibly in accordance with Queensland and Australian laws. The group claimed it was complying with the law to maintain a partnership with the majority group of traditional owners for the mining area under the terms of “Indigenous Land Use Agreements and Cultural Heritage Management Plans” ratified for more than two years.

Bravus added that they had not received any notification from the Australian Human Rights Commission about a complaint.

A spokesman said the Commission could not confirm whether a complaint had been received until both the complainant and the respondent publicly acknowledged it.

The Aboriginal group involved is seeking compensation, an apology, the removal of the offending social media posts, the withdrawal of press statements and anti-racism and cultural awareness training for Adani’s directors, managers and employees.

The Carmichael coal mine has already faced a seven-year campaign from climate change activists and Aboriginal groups before shipping its first cargo in December 2021.

Shares of Adani Group companies fell for a second straight day on Friday after US prosecutors indicted chairman Gautam Adani in a bribery and fraud scheme.