Severed head of tribal woman, whose murder sparked violence, found in Odisha river

The severed head of a 55-year-old tribal woman, whose murder sparked a violent clash between two villages in Odisha’s Malkangiri, was found on Wednesday.

Police said the head was spotted by locals on a river bank some 40 km from where the body was found.

This comes days after clashes were reported between the tribal Rakhelguda village and MV-26 village, where Bengali settlers live, over the headless body found in a river. The body was identified as belonging to a woman who had been reported missing last week.

The clashes led to prohibitory orders and an internet shutdown earlier this week. Although the situation is now reportedly under control, the Malkangiri district administration has extended the internet shutdown until 12 pm Thursday, while heavy police deployment continues in both