Bhubaneswar, Nov 3: Tension gripped the disputed Kotia border region of Odisha’s Koraput district on Tuesday after police personnel from Odisha and Andhra Pradesh reportedly came face to face over the alleged removal of barricades installed by Odisha Police at a border checkpost in Neridibalsa village.

The barricades had been erected as a security measure to maintain law and order amid rising tensions over Andhra Pradesh’s election-related activities in the Kotia region. According to reports, Andhra Pradesh Police personnel allegedly dismantled the barricades, triggering a confrontation between the police forces of the two neighbouring states.

The situation reportedly escalated further when Andhra Pradesh Police personnel entered into a heated exchange with Koraput Sub-Collector and Pattangi Tehsildar at the checkpost. The incident created an atmosphere of tension in the border villages, prompting concerns over the situation.

The latest face-off comes a day after Odisha Police intercepted a rice-laden truck bearing an Andhra Pradesh registration number near the Neridibalsa checkpost.

Tensions have been simmering in Kotia over Andhra Pradesh’s attempts to conduct election-related activities in the region. The area has remained at the centre of a longstanding territorial and administrative dispute between Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, with both states undertaking various activities there.

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