Internet suspension period extended in violence-hit Sambalpur; 85 arrested

Bhubaneswar/Sambalpur: The district administration of violence-hit Sambalpur in Odisha extended the period of internet suspension by another 24 hours till 10 am of Tuesday, even as the total number of arrests rose to 85, officials said.

However, in view of the “improved situation”, the administration relaxed the curfew timings, as the window period for people to go out of their homes for daily activities was rescheduled from 7.30 am to 11.30 am and 3.30 pm to 6 pm, they said. Earlier, the period was from 8 am to 11 am and 3.30 pm to 5.30 pm.

Sambalpur District Collector Ananya Das said the home department took the decision to continue with the internet suspension for another day - till 10 am of Tuesday.

Internet services were suspended in the district on April 13 after the initial bout of violence in the run-up to a Hanuman Jayanti bike rally, to curb circulation of inflammatory messages and prevent misuse of social media, she said.