Odisha police take control of checkpost amid Kotia border dispute escalation
Odisha deployed 16 platoons of force after residents protested Andhra Pradesh's decision to conduct local body elections in the disputed region on November 5.
Odisha police took control of an Andhra Pradesh checkpost at Upper Sembi village on Wednesday following protests by residents of Koraput district. According to Urban Acres, the tension escalated after Andhra Pradesh decided to conduct local body elections in the disputed Kotia region on November 5.
Hundreds of protesters, including women, gathered in Kotia gram panchayat and pulled down barricades. Protesters alleged the barriers were being used to facilitate the entry of Andhra Pradesh into villages claimed by Odisha.
Deputy superintendent of police Sanjay Kumar Mandal said Andhra Pradesh police personnel vacated the post after Odisha police arrived. Koraput superintendent of police Rohit Verma stated that 16 platoons of police personnel and senior officers were deployed to maintain law and order.
Koraput Collector Manoj Satyawan Mahajan said Kotia is an integral part of Odisha and that the district administration is on high alert. He added that prohibitory orders have been imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita.
The district administration stated that no Andhra Pradesh polling booth has been established in Odisha's territory. Officials said they will continue monitoring developments ahead of the scheduled polling date.