Internet services have been suspended.
A total of 25 people including eight policemen were injured in the incident.
The Government of Odisha has imposed prohibitive orders in 13 police stations of Dargah Bazar, Mangalbagh, Cantonment, Purighat, Lalbagh, Bidanasi, Markat Nagar, CDA Charan -2, Malgodam, Badambadi, Jagatpur, Bayalis and Sadar.
Officials told PTI that the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) committed violence after organizing a motorcycle rally in the evening, “Defining the orders of the district administration”, the officials told PTI.
Police Commissioner K Dev Dutta Singh told PTI that violence erupted after VHP members were stopped from entering a sensitive area. The participants of the rally started stoning police personnel. The force resorted to mild lathihar and used tear gas and rubber tablets to disperse them.
He said that the police is actively monitoring the social media platform, where “fake videos and inflammatory rumors are being broadcast”.
He said, “Strict legal action will be taken against those responsible for spreading wrong information,” he said, urged the public to avoid inconvenient messages.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, BJD chief Naveen Patnaik and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan were among many leaders, who appealed to the people to maintain communal harmony.
“Cuttack is a 1,000 year old city known for its brotherhood. Due to the works of some miscreants, the city’s peace has been disturbed in recent times,” Majhi said.
Former CM Patnaik also expressed concern over the situation of law and order, and said that there is a reputation for being a peace-love state in Odisha.
Congress’s Barbati-Kattak MLA Sophia Firdus said she was “unhappy and worried” over the developments.