Internet Restored in Malkangiri After MV-26 Violence

Malkangiri: Internet services, which had been suspended following violent clashes in the MV-26 area earlier this month, were fully restored across Malkangiri district on Monday, officials said.

The district administration had extended the internet shutdown several times in an effort to curb the spread of misinformation and rumours after violence erupted in MV-26 following the murder of a woman in neighbouring Rakhelguda village.

With the restoration of connectivity, security forces continue to maintain strict surveillance in the affected areas. Officials said normalcy has largely returned to the district. Prohibitory orders imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) have also been withdrawn, allowing residents greater freedom of movement.

So far, 18 people have been arrested in connection with the violence. Police sources said security personnel, including the Border Security Force (BSF), remain deployed at sensitive locations to prevent any untoward incident.

The unrest was triggered after the body of a tribal widow, identified as Lake Padiami of Rakhelguda village, was found floating in a river four days after she went missing. Her head remains untraced, further fuelling tension in the region. The woman was allegedly murdered over a land dispute, with tribal residents naming one Suka Ranjan Mandal of MV-26 as the accused.

The situation escalated when more than 5,000 tribal people gathered at nearby MV-25 village, allegedly armed with traditional weapons, and attacked houses, vehicles and properties belonging to residents of MV-26. Several houses were set on fire, and properties belonging to hundreds of Bengali-speaking residents were damaged during the violence on December 7 and 8.

Hundreds of Bengali families, who had migrated from Bangladesh decades ago and have been residing in MV-26, fled their homes and took shelter in nearby villages to escape the violence.

Following the incidents of arson and vandalism, the administration deployed eight platoons of police along with two platoons of the BSF, imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNSS and suspended internet services across the district.

Last week, a ministerial delegation led by Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo visited the violence-hit district and later submitted a report to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi after reviewing the ground situation.