Odisha: Prohibitory orders, 48-hour internet shutdown in Bhadrak after communal clashes
Violence erupted over an inflammatory post by an individual on Facebook, and protestors demanded the arrest of the person concerned
Security was heightened in Bhadrak as some of the police personnel got injured in the stone pelting incident in the city. Photo: X screengrab | ANI
The Odisha government imposed prohibitory orders banning public gatherings and suspending internet services for 48 hours till September 30 in Bhadrak district after violent communal clashes erupted over a Facebook post by an individual.
Odisha’s additional chief secretary Satyabrata Sahu said the home department has prohibited the use and access of social media platforms Facebook, WhatsApp, X, and others for 48 hours till 2 am on September 30 in the district of Bhadrak.
Govt order
The government order read, “Whereas, it has come to the notice of the State Government that in recent past there have been various communal incidents in Bhadrak and Dhamnagar areas due to social media postings; and whereas the District Administration has expressed concern of misuse of internet for spreading communal violence; whereas, messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and other such media, etc. have the potential to inflame communal tension thereby leading to acts causing disturbance of public order in Bhadrak district; Now therefore, in order to prevent the spread of such inflammatory and motivated messages to circulate in the above-mentioned media to disturb the public order in whole Bhadrak district and restore peace and amity.”
600 protestors clash with police
The police said that more than 600 protestors blocked the Santhia bridge demanding the arrest of the person responsible for the post on Facebook. The police had to resort to a lathi charge after the crowd began to forcibly advance across the bridge against the orders of the police. Some of the protestors began pelting stones at the police, injuring a DSP and a sub-inspector and damaging the vehicle of the Bhadrak tehsildar.
History of communal violence
Bhadrak has a history of communal clashes. In April 2017, there were similar incidents of violence following an inflammatory post on Facebook that caused damage worth about Rs 9 crores to about 450 properties. The scale of the violence resulted in the imposition of curfew for more than a month, the longest duration in the history of Odisha.