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Gossip mongers create havoc in Kandhamal

BERHAMPUR: Gossip-mongers equipped with cell phones have become a major cause of concern for the police and innocent public in Kandhamal district, which is already simmering under communal violence. Through the cell phones, these miscreants have been spreading different rumours about the functioning of law enforcement agencies and violence in different parts of the distict, which later proves out to be blatant lies.

Cell phones have become weapons in the hands of these miscreants who are trying to misguide police and administration by giving wrong information. Gossips have become a major hindrance in the maintenance of law and order in the district.

The Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC), southern division, Satyabrata Sahu, said they were trying to track down and arrest the major initiators of violent gossips in the district to fan the embers of communal tension in the district.

The miscreants have been using the phone numbers of outsiders who visited the district as part of media teams or fact finding teams to pass wrong information about the violence. Sources in Bhubaneswar and outside the State at times are getting extremely dangerous wrong information. On Thursday night some newsmen received phone calls from different sources that around 20 tribals had been killed in a group clash in Raikia area, which was found to be a blatant lie. But one can assess that the same misinformation to a tense area at night can lead much mishaps. At times the miscreants are trying to misguide the police through false information about some false violent incidents so that mischief could be done in another area.

Post-mortem of the man killed at Raikia during the clash between agitating women and policemen on September 23 in MKCG medical college proved that he had died due to injury caused to his head by big blunt object, which can occur during stone pelting. But the gossip from Raikia surely spread out and it was reported that the man was killed in police firing.

Recently the RDC received a call from a person a political leader who had received the information that houses of all communities had been burnt down by the minority community at Mallikpada village. Again it was a false propaganda. Other gossips that made rounds in the district and outside were related to allegations of related to gang rape of a nun, lynching of two persons in a prayer house at Sankarakhol, two persons hacked to death at Bakingia etc. Investigations by the police and administration proved that they were deliberate gossips to fan tension.

On Saturday also some persons called up from Bhubaneswar to RDC’s office with information that there was fresh violence at Raikia town, which was again found to be a case of misinformation.

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