Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Wednesday extended the suspension of social media services in Malkangiri district for another 24 hours, keeping the ban in force till 12 pm on December 11.
The restriction covers platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook and X.
This is the third consecutive extension. Internet services were first blocked on December 8 for 24 hours, followed by an 18-hour extension on December 9. The ban, which was set to end at noon today, has now been prolonged by another day in view of the sensitive law-and-order situation.
The curbs follow violent clashes between two communities after a woman’s headless body was recovered on December 4 (Thursday).
Tensions escalated further on Wednesday after police traced the severed head nearly 40 km from the spot where the body was found. The head was recovered near a riverbank close to a Kanya Ashram in Rakhelguda during a follow-up investigation.
A peace committee meeting held at the FLC Hall in the Malkangiri District Collector’s office on the evening of December 9 had brought some respite, with representatives from MV-26 and Rekhalaguda agreeing to restore harmony.
However, the recovery of the severed head prompted the government to continue the social media restrictions for another 24 hours.
