Odisha’s Sambalpur town faces web suspension on Thursday following clashes between Hindus and Muslims on Wednesday night.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Internet services had been suspended on Thursday following clashes between Hindus and Muslims in Odisha’s Sambalpur town throughout bike procession undertaken by Hanuman Jayanti Samonyoya Samiti (HJSS) members on Wednesday night.
When stones had been pelted at HJSS members comprising principally Bajrang Dal members because the bike rally was passing by way of Muslim dominated colonies in Sambalpur, state of affairs worsened.
About 10 police personnel and 5 members of HJSS sustained accidents as they had been attempting to stop escalation of the state of affairs. Condition of some police personnel was said to be severe. The state of affairs obtained flared up as Muslims had been returning after providing Namaz round 6 p.m. of Wednesday. Bikes and automobiles belonging to JHSS had been broken. In retaliation, HJSS members set outlets belonging to minority neighborhood on hearth. Subsequently, prohibitory order below Section 144 of CrPC had been clamped to carry state of affairs below management.
“The situation is now under control. 43 persons have been detained so far and collection of data is on. We have evidence against 26 persons & they will be forwarded to court. Petrol bombs have been seized,” stated Sambalpur SP B. Gangadhar
Also, a notification was issued by State Home Department on Thursday that stated, “There were clashes between Hindus and Muslims in Sambalpur town. The situation is critical and miscreants are circulating false and inflammatory messages through social media to disturb public order in Sambalpur district.”
Whereas messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and different such media have the potential to inflame communal passions thereby resulting in acts of inflicting disturbance of public orders in Sambalpur, web services and different social media platforms have been suspended for 48 hours starting from 10 a.m. of Thursday (April 13).
All social media platforms would stay shut whereas web services by way of cell web, Internet Service Providers, broadband, dial up system and another technique of transmission have been suspended, the notification elaborated.
