Sambalpur: The district administration has allowed ‘sobhayatra’ (procession) on Hanuman Jayanti on Friday after discussion with various committees in the city.
“The procession will be taken out peacfully. Discussion with all committees was successful. All the committees have promissed cooperation in the celebration of Hanuman Jayanti. Rallies will start different places in the town fow which elanorate security arrangment has been made,” said Sambalpur Collector.
The Government suspended Internet services and blocked social media platforms in the district for 48 hours from 10 a.m. on Thursday in view of communal tension that erupted during a Hanuman Jayanti rally.
The violence took place on Wednesday evening when a bikr rally was taken out by the members of Hanuman Jayanti committee.
The State Home department has issued a notification suspending the internet service blocking social media sites. “It has come to the notice of the state government that on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti Sobhayatra, motorcycle procession undertaken by Hanuman Jayanti Samanyoya Samiti members, Bajarang Dal workers, etc., on April 12 evening at about 6 p.m.
There were clashes between Hindus and Muslims in Sambalpur town during the Hanuman Jayanti Sobhayatra, motorcycle procession undertaken by Hanuman Jayanti Samanyoya Samiti members, Bajarang Dal workers etc on April 12 at about 6 pm. The situation is critical and miscreants are circulating false and inflammatory messages through social media to disturb the public order in Sambalpur district,” said the home department notification.
It said that messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and other such media have the potential to inflame communal passions, thereby leading to acts causing disturbance of public order in the district.
“The internet service has been suspended temporarily in order to prevent the spread of such inflammatory and motivated messages to circulate in the social media to disturb the public order in Sambalpur District and to restore peace and amity,” said Singh in the order.
