Sundargarh: Normalcy has returned to Odisha’s Sundargarh town following a day of communal unrest sparked by rumours of beef storage near a religious site.
The district administration lifted prohibitory orders imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and restored internet services across the affected area following a peace meeting, attended by representatives from both communities, senior officials, and police.
Sundargarh Collector Subhankar Mohapatra said the curfew was lifted and internet services were restored since there were no reports of fresh violence. The situation is fully under control, but police deployment would continue till further assessment of the situation.
Police strength in the town was bolstered to 19 platoons to maintain law and order.
The violence erupted on Thursday in the busy Regent Market area, triggered by rumours that beef was being stored in a house located near a Hanuman temple. Even as police began verifying the claims, tensions escalated between members of two communities within minutes into a confrontation in the busy market area, leading to stone pelting at around 2.30 pm that persisted for roughly two and a half hours. Bricks, stockpiled for construction work in the vicinity, were used. While five police personnel and 12 civilians suffered minor injuries, a pickup van and two poultry shops were torched and five or six four-wheelers were damaged across the town.
Following which, the curfew was imposed and internet services were suspended to curb the spread of misinformation and provocative content on social media.
DIG (Western Range) Brijesh Kumar Rai said that four persons have been detained so far in connection with the incident, with efforts underway to identify and apprehend others involved through CCTV footage analysis. “The situation is absolutely under control. Four persons have been apprehended in this case and some others have been identified and multiple raids being conducted to nab them,” he told reporters.
School and colleges, which had been closed in Sundargarh town on Friday, opened from Saturday.
