The Odisha Government on Thursday withdrew internet services in Sambalpur district for 48 hours, a day after violence erupted during a motorcycle rally ahead of the Hanuman Jayanti celebrations.

Around a dozen police personnel, including a woman police inspector, were injured on Wednesday after violence erupted during the rally.

As a precautionary measure to restore order and stop escalation of the situation, Cr PC Section 144 was imposed in all six police station areas of the Sambalpur district.

There was stone pelting and incidents of arson as group clashes had ensued. Several cars and motorcycles were vandalized as the troublemakers went on rampage. Meanwhile, police on Thursday have detained around 35 suspected miscreants in connection with yesterday’s violence.

The internet services will temporarily remain suspended for the next 48 hours beginning from 10 am on 13 April in the district to prevent further spread of inflammatory and motivated messages, according to an official notification.

WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and other social media services of all Mobile Service Providers will also remain suspended during the period. Besides, mobile internet/data service of all Mobile Service Providers, internet/data services of all Internet Service Providers and Broadband Dial Up systems services will all also remain out of bounds during the next 48 hours, it said.

“The situation is tense and miscreants are circulating false and inflammatory messages through social media to disturb the public order in Sambalpur District and messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and other such media have the potentials to inflame communal passions thereby leading to acts causing disturbance of public order in Sambalpur District. Therefore, the internet services have been withdrawn for the next 48 hours beginning from 10 am on 13 April in the district to prevent further spread of inflammatory and motivated messages,” the State’s Home Department stated in a notification.

The Home Department hereby promulgates the notification under the provisions of Section 5 (2) of Indian Telegraph Act 1885 read with Rule 2(1) of The Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency/ Public Safety) Rules, 2017 to prohibit the use and access of the internet, said the notification.