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Amid reports of tension in Odisha's Malkangiri district following the recovery of a headless body of a woman from the Potteru river, Odisha Law and Water Resources Minister Suresh Pujari on Thursday said the situation in the area is now "completely normal".
"For a long time, the situation was normal except for this particular incident. Violence in Malkangiri was a day-to-day phenomenon in the past... But the recent clash was very unfortunate... Now there's total normalcy in that area. The dispute between the tribals and non-tribals, which usually erupted as ethnic violence in the past. We are examining that aspect also," he told reporters. Earlier, the Odisha government extended the ban on access to social media platforms, including WhatsApp, Facebook and X, in Malkangiri district for another 18 hours until 12 pm on December 10. According to officials, clashes erupted soon after the body was found, leading to large-scale damage in the district. The district administration said 163 houses were damaged during the violence. Security forces have been deployed in the affected areas to maintain order. The state government said Chief Minister Mohan Charan Manjhi approved Rs 4 lakh ex-gratia for the victim's family. The woman's son has already received Rs 30,000. The last rites were performed after the post-mortem earlier on Monday. According to a Home Department notification, "anti-social elements" were spreading "false, provocative and inflammatory messages" on WhatsApp, Facebook and X, leading to a threat to public order. According to officials, clashes erupted soon after the body was found, leading to large-scale damage in the district. The district administration said 163 houses were damaged during the violence. Security forces were deployed in the affected areas to maintain order. The Malkangiri Collector told reporters that the situation had improved following talks between the two communities. (ANI)
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