Odisha DGP visits tension-hit Malkangiri, political spar over law & order

Amid the prevailing tension in Malkangiri triggered by the recovery of a headless woman’s body from a river in Rakhelguda village, Odisha Director General of Police (DGP) Yogesh Bahadur Khurania reached the district and took stock of the ground situation on Monday. 

SIW DIG Akhileshvar Singh and ADG Sanjeeb Panda also arrived in the district. The DGP held a review meeting at the Malkangiri SP office to assess the developments.

Meanwhile, tension continues in MV-26 and Rakhelguda villages over the ongoing dispute between the two groups. The issue was also raised during Zero Hour in the Odisha Assembly, where BJD MLA Pratap Deb criticised the State government and termed it unfortunate that the Home Department was unaware of the situation. 

BJD leader Pradeep Majhi also reached the ground zero and questioned the government’s handling of the situation.

"Neither the State government nor the district administration has been proactive in handling the situation. Had they acted with proper intent, the situation could have been controlled. The incident occurred on December 1, yet the government has remained completely silent, without even issuing a statement on the measures to be taken. Only when the situation spiralled out of control, heavy police forces were deployed. The State government bears full responsibility for this situation," said Pradeep Majhi.

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"They filed a missing person complaint at Korukonda Police Station on December 3, and the body was recovered the following day. This is a deeply unfortunate incident, highlighting why we have repeatedly stated that the law and order situation in Odisha has completely deteriorated," said Congress MLA Mangu Khilla.

Responding to the criticism, the BJP stated that the government is fully aware of the incident and the investigation is underway. The ruling party assured that efforts are being made continuously by the police to bring the situation under control.

"Following the unrest, the Malkangiri SP managed to bring the situation under control and arrested two individuals in connection with the incident. The investigation is currently in progress, and the situation remains stable. The government is closely monitoring developments, while the SP, Additional SP and Magistrate are present at the site to prevent any further untoward incidents," said BJP MLA Ashok Mohanty.