Cuttack: Eight persons have been arrested for rioting, vandalism and attacking law enforcement personnel in Odisha’s Cuttack city, Commissioner of Police (CP) S Dev Datta Singh informed on Monday.
“A curfew was imposed last night after a bike rally, which was taken out defying administrative orders, disturbed peace in the city. The situation is now under control and the city is limping back to normalcy. Adequate forces from the Commissionerate Police along with six companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have been deployed. The DGP had issued a stern warning to troublemakers which we later reiterated. The curfew is a warning for them and those creating trouble will immediately be taken to task,” he said.
Police have been conducting patrol marches in the sensitive areas of the city to maintain law and order. A Riot-control vehicle of the Rapid Action Force has also been deployed. Though major new incidents have been reported since the imposition of curfew, the situation is described as “tense but under control”.
The CP further stated eight rioters have so far been identified and arrested. “Efforts are on the nab others. Three cases were registered. Individuals are also coming forward with complaints, which are being looked into,” he said.
Cuttack, a thousand-year-old city known for its brotherhood, has remained tense since Friday following clashes that allegedly stemmed from disagreements over loud music during Durga Puja idol immersion procession. Fresh violence erupted on Sunday during a motorcycle rally organised by the VHP as protesters turned violent when stopped from entering sensitive areas and pelted police with stones. A total of 25 policemen were injured, eight among them seriously.
Police then resorted to a lathi-charge and fired rubber bullets to disperse the protestors.
The rioters also set fire at 8–10 locations near Gourishankar Park, damaged shops and CCTV cameras.
Initially, the state government suspended internet and messaging services – including WhatsApp, Facebook, X, Instagram, and Snapchat – for 24 hours from 7 pm on Sunday across Cuttack Municipal Corporation, Cuttack Development Authority, and 42 Mouza regions to curb the spread of misinformation.
The Commissionerate Police also rubbished rumours about the alleged death of a person following the clash between groups in the city late on Friday. “In the course of the clash, four individuals sustained injuries. Of these, three (Pintu Mahar, Mukesh Mahar and Subhashree Jena) have been discharged following treatment on October 2. The fourth person (Sankar Biswal) remains under medical care and is currently stable, talking and not in any danger. No fatalities have occurred in connection with this incident,” the post on X clarified.
Director General of Police Yogesh Bahadur Khurania has appealed to the people to avoid rumours and check the websites of the police and the Commissionerate and the Twitter handles to understand any facts related to the incident.
Later, a 36-hour curfew from Sunday night across 13 police station limits in Cuttack to address the escalating tensions.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, BJD president Naveen Patnaik, and other leaders have also appealed for peace.
