Cuttack: Internet services were restored in Odisha’s Cuttack on Tuesday after remaining suspended for 48 hours in the wake of violent clashes in the city.
The resumption of internet connectivity has brought major relief to people belonging to different spheres, particularly students, and businesspersons, who were impacted by the temporary shutdown.
The internet services were suspended on Sunday evening for 24 hours as a precautionary measure following violent clashes in certain parts of the city in the wee hours of Saturday during immersion procession of Goddess Durga idols.
Subsequently, the Home Department of the state government extended the suspension by another 24 hours from 7 pm of October 6 to 7 pm of October 7, citing concerns over the possible misuse of digital platforms to spread rumours or incite unrest.
Internet shutdown remained in force in the city amid concerns over the misuse of social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and X for spreading provocative and inflammatory messages, which were attributed to fresh violence in the city on Sunday.
Earlier in the day, the 36-hour curfew restrictions in Cuttack were lifted by the authorities as the situation showed signs of improvement. Twin City Police Commissioner S Dev Datta Singh said the curfew restrictions have been lifted as the situation was gradually becoming normal in the city.
The curfew, which began at 10 pm on Sunday, remained in force till 10 am on Tuesday. The restrictions were clamped in 13 places following the unrest in Cuttack.
The Commissioner of Police confirmed that no new notification has been issued regarding the extension of the curfew, which was imposed in the city after two incidents of violence left at least 31 injured, including 10 police personnel. “No untoward incident occurred after that. No law-breaking attempts were made. Police patrolling and static deployment will continue at sensitive places. It is peaceful now. We have received feedback that people are feeling safe, and normalcy has been restored. We will be closely monitoring the situation,” Singh said.
A total of nine persons have so far been arrested for their alleged involvement in violence, vandalism and attack on cops on Sunday evening, he added.
