Odisha Extends Social Media Ban in Malkangiri by Another 24 Hours

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Wednesday extended the suspension of social media services in Malkangiri district for another 24 hours, keeping the restrictions in force until 12 pm on December 11. Platforms including WhatsApp, Facebook, and X will remain inaccessible during this period.

This marks the third consecutive extension of the ban. Internet services were initially suspended on December 8 for 24 hours, followed by an 18-hour extension on December 9. The curbs, which were set to end at noon on Wednesday, have now been prolonged due to the prevailing sensitive law-and-order situation.

The restrictions come in the wake of violent clashes between two communities after the discovery of a woman’s headless body on December 4. Tensions escalated further on Wednesday when police located the severed head nearly 40 km from where the body was found. It was recovered near a riverbank close to a Kanya Ashram in Rakhelguda during the ongoing investigation.

A peace committee meeting held on December 9 at the FLC Hall of the Malkangiri District Collector’s office had initially eased tensions, with representatives from MV-26 and Rekhalguda agreeing to restore normalcy.

However, the subsequent recovery of the missing head prompted authorities to extend social media restrictions for another day to prevent the spread of misinformation and maintain public order.