Curfew in Cuttack After Durga Puja Violence Leaves 25 Injured

A festive Durga Puja celebration in Cuttack turned into a nightmare of violence, leaving 25 people injured, shops ablaze, and the city under a suffocating curfew. The Odisha government clamped down with a 36-hour prohibitory order across 13 police station areas and a 24-hour internet blackout to curb the spread of inflammatory rumors, plunging the historic city into an eerie silence.

The turmoil erupted in the early hours of Saturday near Haathi Pokhari in Daraghabazar. A Durga idol immersion procession, alive with music and devotion, was winding toward the Kathajodi River when locals objected to the blaring sound system. Words turned to blows, and a mob on rooftops unleashed stones and glass bottles, wounding six, including Cuttack’s Deputy Commissioner of Police, Khilari Rishikesh Dnyandeo, who took a hit to the forehead. The streets became a battleground—vehicles smashed, stalls wrecked, and nearly 50 idol immersions stalled for hours as Puja committee members staged a protest demanding justice.

By Sunday evening, the embers flared again. A motorcycle rally, organized by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad against district orders, roared through sensitive areas. When police blocked their path to prevent further tension, the crowd turned hostile, pelting stones, torching shops in Gourishankar Park, and smashing CCTV cameras. Officers responded with tear gas, rubber bullets, and a mild lathi charge, but not before 25 people, including eight police personnel, were injured. The city, famed for its silver filigree and millennium-old harmony, now smoldered under a haze of smoke and distrust.

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Police Commissioner S. Dev Datta Singh, addressing reporters, condemned the violence as a deliberate attempt to fracture communal bonds. “This was a calculated move to disrupt peace,” he said, noting that four of the six injured from Saturday’s clash were hospitalized, with three discharged and one stable. He debunked viral social media claims about his own health, warning that “fake videos and rumors” were fanning the flames. Authorities are now scouring offline networks for culprits spreading misinformation, promising swift legal action.

Cuttack District Collector Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde called the events “deeply unfortunate” but assured the situation was under control. Over 1,300 security personnel, forming 10 companies, patrol the streets, with more forces on the way. The curfew, effective from 10 p.m. Sunday to 10 a.m. Tuesday, blankets areas like Dargah Bazaar, Mangalabag, Jagatpur, and Sadar. The internet shutdown, spanning the Cuttack Municipal Corporation and nearby regions, began at 7 p.m. Sunday and will lift at 7 p.m. Monday, forcing residents to rely on word-of-mouth in a city buzzing with unease.

Political leaders across the spectrum urged calm. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi invoked Cuttack’s 1,000-year legacy of brotherhood, pleading for restraint. “A few miscreants cannot tarnish our unity,” he said. Former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik called the unrest a stain on Odisha’s peaceful reputation, while Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Congress MLA Sofia Firdus expressed dismay. BJD MP Sulata Deo pointed fingers at the state’s law enforcement, accusing it of failing to curb rising tensions.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad announced a 12-hour bandh on Monday, October 6, to protest the handling of the initial clash, vowing to paralyze the city. As flag marches replace festival drums and families huddle behind locked doors, Cuttack—a cultural beacon of Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, and Christian coexistence—stands at a crossroads. With idols finally immersed under armed guard and a digital blackout stifling communication, the city holds its breath, praying its ancient spirit of harmony can outshine the flames of division.

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