MALKANGIRI: Charred mud walls, smouldering debris, and household belongings scattered across the ground are all that remain of Malkangiri Village-26 (MV-26) in Odisha, a day after it was ravaged by arson. The violence erupted when a tribal mob from neighbouring Rakhalguda stormed the settlement, inhabited largely by settlers of Bangladeshi origin, following the beheading of an Adivasi woman. The district administration has constituted a special investigation team to probe the murder.
MV-26, home to 188 families, stood completely deserted on Tuesday, with not a single resident staying back as security personnel patrolled the area. Most of the settlers—predominantly Bengali-speaking Hindus who migrated from Bangladesh decades ago and later obtained Indian citizenship—fled the village after being vastly outnumbered by the mob on Monday. More than 160 houses were set on fire during the rampage.
Tribal residents have alleged that the murdered woman, identified as Lake Padiami (51), was killed and beheaded by some residents of MV-26, triggering the violent backlash.
“I still can’t believe this has happened,” said an elderly resident. “We came here nearly 50 years ago, rebuilt our lives from nothing, and the last thing we need now is to live in fear.”
Most villagers spent the night taking shelter in nearby villages, staying with relatives and well-wishers. A few residents briefly returned on Tuesday morning to assess the extent of the devastation, cautiously walking through the burnt-out settlement before leaving again.
Gouranga Karmakar, president of the Bengali Settlers’ Association in Malkangiri, described the violence as a devastating blow to a community that had struggled for decades to achieve stability. “This is the worst situation we could be in,” he said. “Some of our elders survived extremely difficult times in Bangladesh before migrating here. Many feel this is even worse, because this was the land we believed would finally be our home.”
Karmakar said the settlers strongly condemned the murder of the tribal woman and demanded the harshest punishment for those responsible. “But destroying an entire village is not justice—it is a tragedy. In a matter of hours, everything was reduced to ashes,” he said.
The district administration on Tuesday convened a peace meeting involving representatives of both communities, in the presence of the district collector and senior police officials. “Both sides have agreed to cooperate with the administration to help restore peace and normalcy,” said DIG Kanwar Vishal Singh.
Singh added that teams from the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force are continuing the search for the decapitated woman’s head, a key demand of the tribal community. “Underwater cameras are being used as part of the search operation,” he said.
