"Situation is far from normal:" BJD leader Pratap Keshari Deb on Malkangiri violence

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], December 12 : BJD leader Pratap Keshari Deb, reacting to the violence in Malkangiri following the recovery of a headless woman's body from the Potteru river, claimed that the situation on the ground is far from normal and blamed both the government and the police for allegedly mishandling the matter.
In his interaction with ANI, Deb said that, contrary to media reports, the situation remains far from normal.
"The situation is far from normal. The government goofed up, and the police department goofed up. When the incident happened on the 1st of December, nobody took notice of the situation unless it escalated. By the time it escalated, and after the question was raised in the assembly, the government came into action. The police lost about a week in controlling the situation... The incident might have occurred at one place, MV 26, but its repercussions have far-reaching consequences and have penetrated various other villages and areas where the Bengali and Adiwasi populations dwell," said Deb.
While discussing the impact of the Malkangiri violence, the BJD leader also demanded compensation for those affected by the riots and called for the provision of shelter for the victims during the winter.
"So, how far the government will control it is a million-dollar question number one. Number two, though they have rushed in the deputy CM, and they have deployed a lot of force, but still, the larger question is first damage control, second is compensation to those people... We demand from the people who have suffered in this riot that the government should compensate them and not only compensate them, but also make sure the arrangement is in place till at least the winter, so that the population whose houses and shops have been destroyed, at least they can get shelter during this winter... But as far as the law and order of the situation is concerned, the government has to take a major call...," added Deb.
Earlier, Odisha Law and Water Resources Minister Suresh Pujari, amid reports of tension in Malkangiri district, said the situation on the ground had returned to normal and that the dispute between tribal and non-tribal communities is under probe.
"For a long time, the situation was normal except for this particular incident. Violence in Malkangiri was a day-to-day phenomenon in the past... But the recent clash was very unfortunate... Now there's total normalcy in that area. The dispute between the tribals and non-tribals, which usually erupted as ethnic violence in the past. We are examining that aspect also," Pujari told reporters.
Earlier, a clash erupted between two communities in Malkangiri when a woman's headless body was recovered from the Potteru river, leading to large-scale damage in the district. According to the district administration, 163 houses were damaged during the violence. Security forces were deployed in the affected areas to maintain order.
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.
Additionally, the state's Chief Minister, Mohan Charan Manjhi, approved an ex-gratia payment of Rs 4 lakh to the victim's family. The woman's son has already received Rs 30,000.