Malkangiri: The Malkangiri district administration on Monday ordered a 24-hour suspension of internet services from 6 PM today, as escalating tension between two tribal villages threatened to spiral further following the alleged murder of a tribal woman whose headless body was recovered from a river. The internet suspension, officials said, is aimed at curbing rumours, preventing mobilisation, and restoring order after a day of widespread violence.
The shutdown comes in the wake of violent clashes on Sunday, when residents of Rakhelguda village launched a retaliatory attack on neighbouring MV-26 under Korkunda police limits. Enraged over the killing of 51-year-old Lake Padiami, a widow from Rakhelguda, hundreds of tribal men and women armed with traditional weapons stormed MV-26, vandalising at least a dozen houses, destroying vehicles, looting shops and setting four homes on fire. Many residents fled the village as the mob advanced.
Authorities said the woman’s decapitated body, found on a riverbank last week, had sparked deep anger among tribal communities, who have been demanding immediate arrests and recovery of the missing head. The outpouring of grief and suspicion quickly escalated into violence between the two villages.
The administration moved swiftly to contain the unrest. Additional forces from the Odisha Police and the Border Security Force were deployed, alongside personnel from the Odisha Fire Service and the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force. Senior officials, including DIG (South Western Range) Kanwar Vishal Singh, Malkangiri Collector Somesh Kumar Upadhyay, and SP Vinodh Patil H, visited the affected areas and convened a peace committee meeting with both groups.
Police have detained two persons in connection with the incident, though officials said several residents of MV-26 have fled. A heavy security presence continues in the area to prevent further flare-ups.
