The Sambalpur district administration on Tuesday further extended the suspension of internet services for another 24 hours while the curfew relaxation hours have been increased, an official said. The internet services would remain suspended till 10 am of Wednesday. The district administration has also further increased curfew relaxation hours. Now, the curfew has been relaxed in the city from 7.30 am to 1 pm and from 3.30 pm to 6 pm for the convenience of the public, said District Collector Ananya Das. The city had witnessed large-scale violence in two phases, one on April 12 and then on April 14, leaving many people including 10 police personnel injured, arson and damage to properties.
The district administration suspended internet services in Sambalpur on April 13, a day after violence was witnessed during a motorcycle rally in the run-up to the Hanuman Jayanti celebration on April 14. This is for the fourth time that internet services have been suspended to curb the spread of inflammatory messages and prevent misuse of social media, in the aftermath of violence.
Meanwhile, a high-level BJP delegation, including Union Minister Bisheswar Tudu, MPs Jual Oram and Suresh Pujari, MLAs Nauri Nayak, Shankar Oram and Kusum Tete, Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal is on its way to Sambalpur. The team plans to meet those injured people in the violence. Sambalpur SP B Gangadhar said that the number of arrests so far stands at 85.
