Bhubaneswar (Odisha) December 10 (ANI): BJD MLA Ranendra Pratap Swain raised alarm in the Assembly over the recovery of a woman's headless body from the Potteru river in Malkangiri, terming it a 'burning issue'. Alleging ongoing religious strife and ethnic cleansing in the district, he accused the administration of inaction and demanded an immediate statement from the Chief Minister on the floor of the House.

On Tuesday, Swain told ANI, 'This is a burning issue. The entire Malkangiri district is agog. Religious strife, as well as ethnic cleansing, is going on in that place. The entire administration is sitting as if they are oblivious to this fact. The house is in session, and the government is urged to give a statement here on the floor of the house, which is not being done... I wish the Chief Minister would give a statement on this...'

The remarks came after violent clashes broke out between two communities following the recovery of a woman's headless body.

The Odisha government extended the ban on access to social media platforms, including WhatsApp, Facebook and X, in Malkangiri district for another 18 hours until 12 pm on December 10.

According to a Home Department notification, 'anti-social elements' were spreading 'false, provocative and inflammatory messages' on WhatsApp, Facebook and X, leading to a threat to public order.

According to officials, clashes erupted soon after the body was found, leading to large-scale damage in the district. The district administration said 163 houses were damaged during the violence. Security forces have been deployed in the affected areas to maintain order.

The Malkangiri Collector told reporters that the situation had improved following talks between the two communities.

'The situation is peaceful now. An agreement has been reached between the two communities. They have named their respective representatives for today's Peace Committee meeting. We are hopeful that normalcy will return. According to the preliminary assessment, 163 houses have sustained damage. The victim's son has been given an ex-gratia amount of Rs 30,000. The CM has announced Rs 4 lakhs ex-gratia,' he said.

The state government said Chief Minister Mohan Charan Manjhi approved Rs 4 lakh ex-gratia for the victim's family. The woman's son has already received Rs 30,000. The last rites were performed after the post-mortem earlier on Monday.

Officials said a scientific team, a sniffer-dog squad and the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) have arrived at the site to search for the missing head and collect evidence related to the killing. The teams are carrying out extensive searches in the area. (ANI)