Bhubaneswar, Dec 8: Fresh unrest gripped Odisha’s Malkangiri district on Monday, a day after more than 50 houses were set ablaze in MV-26 village following the discovery of a woman’s headless body. Despite heavy police deployment, tension resurfaced in multiple locations as large groups of locals mobilised again, prompting the district administration to intensify efforts to restore order.
According to reports, one group armed with traditional weapons gathered on the banks of the Rakhelguda River on Monday morning. Another group assembled near Malkangiri Sadar, while a third faction attempted to march toward MV-18 village. Police teams reached all three locations in time and prevented the groups from advancing. Tear gas was used to disperse the crowd.
The situation remains volatile in several parts of the district. Authorities have imposed BNS-163 within a 10-kilometre radius covering MV-26 and Rakhelguda to prevent further escalation, and security forces have been stationed at critical points. District Collector Somesh Kumar Upadhyay and SP Vinod Patil visited the affected areas to review the situation. Representatives of both communities have been called for a peace meeting.
The issue was raised in the Odisha Assembly during Zero Hour today. BJD MLA Pratap Deb criticised the state government, alleging that it failed to detect the situation on the ground in time. He said it was “unfortunate” that the Home Department remained unaware of the incident despite it occurring two days ago, only appearing in newspapers today. Deb questioned whether the Home and Intelligence Departments were “asleep,” pointing out that 50 houses had been set on fire and two groups had clashed, yet the police had no prior information. Calling Malkangiri a sensitive district, he claimed the incident exposed a failure of the government in maintaining law and order.
He demanded immediate instructions for a direct inquiry at the incident site.
The Congress also targeted the government, alleging complete collapse of law and order in Malkangiri and accusing the administration of offering only statements rather than action. They claimed the Chief Minister was unable to manage his own department.
The BJP, however, countered these accusations, asserting that the government was closely monitoring the situation in Malkangiri and had taken strict measures as soon as the incident occurred. They dismissed the opposition remarks as routine political criticism.
Violence initially erupted after the headless body of 55-year-old Lake Podiami of Rakhelguda village was recovered from the Poteru River on Thursday. Her disappearance on Wednesday led her son to file a complaint with the Korukonda police. Following the discovery, hundreds of villagers armed with axes and bows moved through settlements, torching houses, vehicles and household belongings, leading to the widespread destruction reported on Sunday.
