MALKANGIRI: The severed head of 51-year-old Lake Podiami, now reduced to a skull, was recovered from Potteru riverbank in Namkonda, about five km from Kalimela, on Wednesday.
Family members and villagers buried the tribal woman’s head at the same spot between Rakhalguda and MV-26, where her last rites were performed on Tuesday, in presence of Malkangiri collector Somesh Kumar Upadhyay, SP Vinodh Patil and police personnel. Podiami’s body was found in Potteru river on December 4.
The recovery comes even as MV-26 continues to reel from Monday’s violence during which tribal groups enraged by Podiami’s murder had set ablaze several houses belonging to Bengali residents, forcing hundreds to flee. As revenue staff completed final assessments of the damage to homes and other properties on Wednesday, around 300 displaced residents returned to the village amid heavy deployment of police and BSF personnel and a continued curfew.
The district administration has extended the internet shutdown for another 24 hours till 12 am on Thursday, imposing a blanket ban on social media to curb the spread of misinformation and rumours.
Meanwhile, MV-26 has been placed under round-the-clock surveillance with multiple CCTV cameras installed to help police keep a close watch on the developments. Following the much-awaited peace dialogue between tribal and Bengali representatives on Tuesday night, Upadhyay along with the SP visited the village to instil confidence among the Bengali families.
Police, BSF and rapid action force teams are camping in MV-26 and conducting regular patrolling to prevent further flare-ups. The collector said essential relief materials including blankets, medicines and polythene sheets are being distributed to the returning families. Normalcy is slowly returning to MV-26 and the curfew will remain in force for now, he added.