Sambalpur curfew: Don’t believe in rumours, Collector Ananya Das appeals to public

With several parts of Sambalpur being on the edge and curfew being clamped, Collector Ananya Das on Saturday appealed to the public not to believe in rumours. While interacting with the media, the Sambalpur Collector said that the Home Department today extended the ban on internet services in Sambalpur for another 48 hours.

The ban has been enforced to ensure that various inflammatory videos and reporting are not circulated. “We appeal to the public not to believe in rumours. Whenever people come across any rumour, they should immediately report to their nearest police station,” said Das.

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According to Das, strict action will be taken against mischief-mongers indulging in spreading rumours. “Around 95 per cent of rumours are false and there is no fact in such information. Hence, people should act in a more cautious manner. As the situation is very sensitive, rumours will not be tolerated at all,” said Das.

The Sambalpur Collector further said that all the emergency services like fire, hospitals and others are working as normal while all the commercial establishments will remain closed in Sambalpur. People can move out during two special windows- from 8 am to 10 am and from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm- to buy essential commodities.

“Elaborate security arrangements have been made to maintain law and order and already 43 platoons of police force have been deployed under various police station jurisdictions and the overall situation is stable,” Das added.