A day after eruption of tension in Odisha’s communally-sensitive Bhadrak district, the State Government has withdrawn internet services for 48 and clamped prohibitory order after a rally protesting against a controversial social media post turned violent leaving at least five policemen injured.
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A day after eruption of tension in Odisha’s communally-sensitive Bhadrak district, the State Government has withdrawn internet services for 48 and clamped prohibitory order after a rally protesting against a controversial social media post turned violent leaving at least five policemen injured.
To avert possible breach of peace, the State Home Department has enforced prohibitory order under Section 163 under Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (power to issue order in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger) in some of the sensitive pockets. Nine suspected miscreants have so far been detained while the man accused of posting the controversial Facebook post has been arrested, said an official on Saturday.
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It may be noted here that disturbances ensued yesterday over a social media post shared by a man that triggered widespread outrage in the area. Registering an angry protest, a group of people from a particular community staged a rally and blocked roads, burning tyres and demanding the man’s arrest. The protesters had later attacked the cops as they tried to block the rally.
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“Messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, X and other such media have the potential to inflame communal tension thereby leading to acts causing disturbance of public order in Bhadrak district. Therefore, in order to prevent the spread of such inflammatory and motivated messages to circulate in the above mentioned media to disturb the public order in whole Bhadrak district and restore peace and amity, I Satyabrata Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary to Government, Home Department do hereby extend prohibition of the use and access of social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, X and any other through internet and other medium of data services”, an official notification issued in this regard on Saturday said.
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