Overview
- Deputy Chief Minister K. V. Singh Deo and Minister Gokulananda Mallick submitted their field assessment to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi after visiting the affected areas.
- A preliminary estimate pegs arson losses at about Rs 3.4 crore, with four teams assessing household damage and relief supplies already being distributed.
- About 300 displaced residents of MV-26 have returned following peace-committee talks, while prohibitory orders, BSF and state armed police deployments, and new CCTV surveillance remain in place.
- District-wide internet and social media access were extended for another 12 hours on Thursday to curb inflammatory messaging as authorities monitor the situation.
- Police arrested Subha Ranjan Mandal in the killing of Lake Podiami, whose torso was found on December 4 and whose head was recovered later about 15 km away, an incident that set off the violence.