MALKANGIRI: Armed miscreants set houses and properties belonging to members of the Bengali community on fire in MV-26 under Mariwada panchayat limits on Sunday, following the murder of a 55-year-old woman.
According to sources, nearly 5,000 people, reportedly armed with traditional weapons including axes, bows and arrows, marched to MV-26 on Sunday afternoon, about 16 km from the district headquarters, and went house to house, torching structures, vehicles and belongings of the residents.
Around 100 Bengali families reside in MV-26. The exact number of houses destroyed by the miscreants is yet to be ascertained, police said.
Malkangiri collector Somesh Kumar Upadhyay and SP Vinod Patil rushed to the village and reviewed the situation. Police and Border Security Force (BSF) personnel have since been deployed in the area.
The headless body of the victim, Lake Podiami, a woman belonging to Koya tribe, of Rakhelguda village under Korukonda police limits, was discovered in the Poteru river on Thursday. The head of the victim is yet to be traced. Police have arrested one Subharanjan Mondal (45) of MV-26, who belongs to Bengali community, in connection with the case on Sunday, the SP said.
Podiami, went missing on Wednesday. Her son, Ravi Podiami, lodged a missing complaint at Korukonda police station, following which search operations were launched. Residents of Balighat near Dudametla spotted a headless body in the river on Thursday and alerted police. Based on clothing, family members identified the body as Podiami’s. Due to high water level, the missing head has not yet been traced. Fire services personnel have joined the search, police said.
Speaking to TNIE, Korukonda IIC Himanshu Sekhar Barik confirmed that a mob opposing the Bengali community entered MV-26 and set the houses ablaze. “Land dispute is suspected to be linked to the murder. The exact number of houses and properties damaged is yet to be ascertained,” he said.
“We had anticipated an attack after the murder. We no longer feel safe or secure. We want to maintain cordial relations like before and live peacefully,” said MV-26 resident Mahanandi Bairagi, alleging targeted violence against Bengalis.
Meanwhile, the family of the deceased and members of the tribal community are refusing to allow postmortem of the body. As a result, it remains preserved at the district headquarters hospital mortuary, IIC Barik confirmed.
Police and BSF teams are still patrolling in the village to restore confidence, prevent further escalation, and maintain law and order.