The Kotia border dispute intensified on Wednesday after residents of Odisha’s Koraput district protested Andhra Pradesh’s decision to conduct local body elections in the disputed region on November 5, prompting Odisha police to take control of an Andhra Pradesh checkpost and deploy 16 platoons of force.
Hundreds of people from different parts of Koraput district gathered in Kotia gram panchayat, according to the Times of India. The protesters, including women, pulled down barricades erected by Andhra Pradesh police, alleging that the barriers were being used to facilitate the neighbouring state’s entry into villages claimed by Odisha.
The confrontation came as authorities prepared for Andhra Pradesh’s planned local body polls in the border region. Koraput police on Wednesday took control of a checkpost at Upper Sembi village, located within the disputed Kotia panchayat. Deputy superintendent of police Sanjay Kumar Mandal said the Andhra Pradesh police personnel vacated the post after Odisha police arrived.
The development reflects the administrative nature of the long-running Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border dispute. Both states have periodically undertaken welfare and administrative activities in the region, leading to confrontations over jurisdiction and the delivery of public services. The latest dispute has centred on whether Andhra Pradesh can conduct local body elections in territory that Odisha claims as its own.
Koraput Collector Manoj Satyawan Mahajan said the district administration was on high alert, with senior officials deployed to monitor the situation and prevent any untoward incident. He said Kotia was an integral part of Odisha and that necessary steps had been taken to protect the area.
The collector also said prohibitory orders had been imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. According to the district administration, no Andhra Pradesh polling booth had been established in Odisha’s territory.
Koraput superintendent of police Rohit Verma said 16 platoons of police personnel, along with senior officers, had been deployed to maintain law and order and prevent escalation. Security arrangements were being strengthened as the November 5 polls in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh approached.
The immediate administrative priority is to keep the disputed area under close watch and prevent further clashes between protesters and security personnel. The district administration said it would continue monitoring developments ahead of the scheduled polling date.
