Situation In Odisha’s Sambalpur Normal With No Violent Incident In 48 Hours, Says ACS

Sambalpur: The situation in Sambalpur city is normal with no untoward incident reported in the past 48 hours, said Odisha’s additional chief secretary Satyabrata Sahu on Sunday.

Speaking to media persons after reviewing the law and order in Sambalpur, which witnessed violence and arson related to Hanuman Jayanti, Sahu said all steps were being taken to restore normalcy the city and hoped that its peace-loving people would return to their daily activities soon.

“Due to the efforts of the district administration, around 3,000 candidates could go to appear at different examinations held at the test centres in the city on Sunday. The smooth and peaceful conduct of the examinations indicated normalcy of the situation. Besides, no incident of violence has been reported in the last 48 hours,” he said.

Stating that he has been holding meetings with the DGP, senior police officers and the officials of the Sambalpur district administration since morning, Sahu said more meetings will be held on Monday to restore total normalcy in the western Odisha city.

“I would like to thank the people of Sambalpur for their cooperation with the administration during the curfew and look forward to their support in our efforts to bring back normalcy in the city,” he added.

Earlier, DGP Sunil Bansal said with the situation in Sambalpur limping back to normalcy, curfew restrictions may be lifted in a day or two, if further improvement is noticed.

It may be noted that some miscreants pelted stones at a motorcycle rally that was taken out on April 12 ahead of Hanuman Jayanti in the city. It led to a clash between two groups. Many shops and vehicles were set on fire during the clash.