Malkangiri: Internet services were fully restored in Malkangiri district in Odisha on Monday, after a weeklong ban to prevent the spread of misinformation and rumours in the aftermath of clashes between tribals and Bengali settlers.
The administration had extended the restrictions on internet services till Monday noon for the sixth straight time on Saturday, while withdrawing prohibitory orders imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita within a 10-km radius of MV-26 that witnessed arson on December 8-9 following the murder of a woman of the neighbouring Rakhelguda village.
According to sources, the tribals went berserk and set ablaze several houses belonging to Bengali residents, forcing hundreds to flee, after the headless body of the 51-year-old tribal woman, belonging to the Koya tribe, was recovered from the banks of the Poteru river on December 4. Her head was found six days later on the river bank in Namkonda.
The district administration has pegged the damage caused during the violence at Rs 3.80 crore.
The situation has since then steadily improved with the Bengali settlers, making short daytime visits to the village to assess the condition of their properties and surroundings. So far, 18 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, and deployment of 40 platoons of security forces, including the Border Security Force (BSF), continues at sensitive locations to prevent any untoward incident.
Subharanjan Mondal, a 45-year-old resident of MV-26 belonging to the Bengali community, was arrested by police in connection with the murder, which is suspected to be the fallout of a land dispute.
On Sunday, Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi visited MV-26 and neighbouring Rakhalguda village and held discussions with representatives of the tribal and Bengali communities as part of the government’s efforts to rebuild confidence and restore peace.
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Over two lakh Bengalis-speaking families, who migrated from Bangladesh till the 1970s and acquired Indian citizenship, live in 214 villages across Malkangiri district.