Centre rushes 2,000 paramiliatry personnel to Odisha to contain communal violence in Bhadrak
Official sources said two battalions of Central paramilitary personnel were dispatched to Odisha to help restore normalcy in the district.
Published: 08th April 2017 08:13 PM | Last Updated: 08th April 2017 09:40 PM | A+A A-
Shops and houses being set afire by protesters in Bhadrak town on Friday | EPS
NEW DELHI: The Union Home Ministry on Saturday rushed 2,000 Central paramilitary personnel to Odisha to assist the local administration in containing the communal situation in Odisha's Bhadrak district, that has been facing violence for the last three days.
"Central forces rushed to Bhadrak district of Odisha in view of the prevailing tension there," a Home Ministry spokesperson said.
Official sources said that two battalions of Central paramilitary personnel were dispatched to Odisha to help restore normalcy in the district. The move was taken from request from the State Government.
A battalion of paramilitary force comprises around 1000 personnel.
Curfew was imposed in Bhadrak and prohibitory orders were put in the place adjoining Dhamnagar and Basudevpur on Saturday morning after reports of violence over alleged abusive remarks on social media against Hindu deities.
Inputs with the Centre suggest as many as 20 persons have been detained by the State police in connection with the violent incidents including arson, in which a number of shops were gutted and vehicles torched.
Violence had erupted in Bhadrak on Thursday after a group of people staged demonstration near the town police station demanding immediate arrest of the culprits allegedly involved in offensive posts against Hindu deities on the social media platforms.
