Internet Shutdown To Continue For Another 48 Hours In Odisha’s Sambalpur With Some Relaxations

Sambalpur: To prevent any untoward incident in volatile Sambalpur, the district administration on Thursday further extended the internet services suspension till 10 am on April 22.

However, broadband and leased lines will be made available in the western Odisha district from 10 am to 5 pm during the day.

Internet services have been suspended since April 13, a day after the districts headquarters town witnessed clash between two groups ahead of Hanuman Jayanti celebrations, to curb circulation of inflammatory messages and prevent misuse of social media. It was partially resumed in some blocks the previous day.

Sources said normalcy is returning to the districts headquarters town with curfew relaxed from 7 am to 6 pm. Sambalpur SP B Gangadhar had earlier said that the the curfew will be relaxed further in the next one or two days.

The barricades to restrict vehicular movement are also being cleared.

On Wednesday, the streets wore a deserted look even during the curfew relaxation period in the first half of the day because of the 12-hour bandh called by VHP over the recent violence between April 12 and 14 in the town. A total 45 platoons of police force have been deployed across Sambalpur.