Odisha imposed 36-hour prohibitory orders in 13 Cuttack police station areas after fresh violence.
Internet services suspended from Sunday evening to prevent misinformation spread.
Twenty-five injured in clashes linked to a VHP rally defying district administration orders.
The Odisha government on Sunday night imposed prohibitory orders in 13 police station areas and suspended internet services in parts of Cuttack after fresh violence left 25 people injured, following a recent group clash during a Durga idol immersion procession, PTI reported.
Police Commissioner S. Dev Datta Singh said the prohibitory orders would remain in force for 36 hours from 10 pm on Sunday. The restrictions cover the police station areas of Dargah Bazaar, Mangalabag, Cantonment, Purighat, Lalbag, Bidanasi, Markat Nagar, CDA Phase-2, Malgodam, Badambadi, Jagatpur, Bayalis Mouza and Sadar, he told reporters.
The state government had earlier suspended internet services in areas under the Cuttack Municipal Corporation, the Cuttack Development Authority (CDA) and the adjoining Bayalis Mauza region from 7 pm on Sunday till 7 pm on Monday to prevent the spread of misinformation, PTI reported.
According to officials, the fresh violence broke out after the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) organised a motorcycle rally in the evening, defying the district administration’s orders. Commissioner Singh said participants in the rally turned violent when stopped by security personnel from entering a sensitive area, PTI reported.
“As the rally participants’ entry into the sensitive area was aimed to create disharmony, the police stopped them, following which they started pelting stones. The personnel had to resort to mild lathicharge and use tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse them,” Singh said.
Twenty-five people were injured in the violence, including eight police personnel, PTI reported. Singh said that in the group clash on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday, four people and two police personnel were injured. Of the four civilians, three were discharged from hospital on Saturday, while the fourth remains under medical care and is stable.
Singh said there was a false narrative being created on social media about his health condition, aimed at inciting hate, fear and disrupting harmony among communities. He said police have been actively monitoring social media platforms where fake videos and inflammatory rumours are being circulated. He warned that strict legal action would be taken against those spreading misinformation and urged the public not to forward unverified messages, but to report suspicious content to the authorities.
According to police, the earlier clash occurred between 1.30 am and 2 am on Saturday near Haathi Pokhari in Dargah Bazaar when an immersion procession was heading towards Debigara on the banks of the Kathajodi river. Violence erupted after some locals objected to high-decibel music being played during the procession. The arguments escalated into a confrontation when stones and glass bottles were allegedly thrown from rooftops at the procession, injuring several revellers, including Cuttack DCP Khilari Rishikesh Dnyandeo.
In Sunday’s violence, CCTV cameras were damaged and shops in the Gourishankar Park area were allegedly set on fire after police stopped the procession, officials said.
Describing the incidents as “unfortunate”, Cuttack District Collector Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde said the situation was under control but that prohibitory orders were imposed as a precautionary measure. Ten companies of security personnel — each comprising around 130 members — have been deployed in Cuttack, and additional forces have been requisitioned, PTI reported.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, BJD chief Naveen Patnaik and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan appealed to residents to maintain communal harmony. “Cuttack is a 1,000-year-old city known for its brotherhood. Due to the actions of some miscreants, the peace of the city has been disturbed in recent days,” Majhi said.
Former chief minister Patnaik expressed concern over the law and order situation, saying Odisha has long held a reputation as a peace-loving state. Barabati-Cuttack MLA Sofia Firdus of the Congress said she was “saddened and worried” over the developments, PTI reported.
Meanwhile, the VHP has called for a 12-hour bandh in Cuttack on Monday in protest against the group clash during the Durga idol immersion procession, PTI reported.
(With inputs from PTI)
