Night curfew continues in Bhadrak; BJD councillor arrested

Bhadrak: The Odisha police today arrested a BJD councillor in connection with the violence in the town over alleged abusive remarks against Hindu deities on social media, even as night curfew remained in force here.

The night curfew remained in force even as normalcy has returned to violence-hit town, said a senior official, adding that the curfew was relaxed for 12 hours from 6 AM to 6 PM.

Meanwhile, police arrested Subhankar Mohapatra, Councilor in Bhadrak Municipality, for his alleged involvement in the violent incidents on April 7.

With this, the number of arrests in the incident has gone upto 165.

Bhadrak SP Anup Sahu said over 80 FIRs have been lodged by the victims so far.

Bhadrak Collector Gyanaranjan Das said the administration was all set to complete the process of assessing the loss and damages caused by the violence and a report would soon be submitted to the government to pave way for compensation to victims.

Violence had erupted in the town on April 6 after a group staged a demonstration near the Town police station demanding arrest of those involved in posting alleged offensive remarks on Hindu deities on social media.

Though the administration clamped prohibitory orders, tension persisted and fresh violence was reported on April 7, despite a peace meeting. Escalation in tension prompted the administration to impose curfew on April 7.