Curfew relaxed in Bhadrak for 9 hours
Bhadrak district administration relaxed the curfew for about nine hours on Tuesday as part of its strategy to gradually lift the curfew completely in a phased manner in the coming days.The curfew was lifted from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday. As the situation still remains tense, with chances of miscreants attempting to sabotage peace efforts, particularly in the evening hours under the cover of darkness, the curfew will remain in force.“Situation is fast improving. There are deep scars left due to communal violence and we need time for those wounds to heal. At the same time, we do not want to loosen our grip over the situation,” Revenue Divisional Commissioner A. B. Ota told The Hindu over phone on Tuesday.“As soon as communal violence erupted in the town on April 7, the administration handled the situation admirably. In 1991, when a communal violence broke out in Bhadrak, 21 deaths were reported. This time around, we have not come across a single injury.”Schools reopenedAlthough schools and other educational institutions reopened after five days on Tuesday, attendance was noticed to be thin as parents parents were wary about sending their wards to schools and colleges. “There is simmering tension in the town. There will be no harm if children remain absent for few more days. We hope situation gets back to normal soon,” said Rakesh Nanda, a parent. Banks and government offices functioned normally.Meanwhile, the Bhadrak district police expedited its investigation to trace miscreants who had instigated the violence in the town. As many as 35 platoons of police personnel of Odisha, two companies of CRPF and two companies of RAF would remain stationed till complete normalisation of the situation.