Police in Urida and Andhra Pradesh get into a tussle over Kotia village dispute

Police officers from Odisha and Andhra Pradesh engaged in a skirmish at the inter-state border on Tuesday (November 3, 2026) as they asserted their respective jurisdictional claims over the Kotia group of villages in Odisha’s Koraput district.

The latest flashpoint was the upcoming November 5 Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTC) and Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTC) elections that Andhra Pradesh wants to hold in the Kotia region.

Barricades in place

Around 10:00 am on Tuesday (November 3), a group of AP officials accompanied by security personnel tried to enter Kotia through Neredibalasa, a border village. They were stopped by the Odisha Police who put up barricades. On Monday, Odisha stopped a truck carrying packets of rice at the border crossing. AP officials claimed that they have every right to hold elections in Kotia as it belongs to their state.

On the other hand, the Odisha government has argued that the Kotia group of villages is an integral part of the state and that since 2006 the status quo of the Supreme Court is valid.

Sensing the worsening law and order situation in Kotia, Koraput District Collector Manoj Satyawan Mahajan on Tuesday (November 3) has banned prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, in the physical limits of all 21 villages of Potia gram panchayatsil under Kotia gram panchayattang.

An all-party coordination meeting held on October 29 in Koraput also decided to block the election teams from Andhra Pradesh if they were to enter Odisha territory to conduct polls. The prohibitory order also mentioned the resolution.

“The Kotia cluster of villages is an integral part of its territory and the state has filed a fresh contempt petition in the Supreme Court against the Andhra Pradesh election notification as it violates the 2006 order ordering both states to maintain the status quo,” Odisha Revenue and Disasters Minister Suresh Pujari said.

He said that Andhra Pradesh was trying to create a constitutional crisis by continuing to hold elections in Odisha’s jurisdiction.

2021 repeat

“AP tried to hold panchayat elections in Kotia in 2021 and now after five years again Andhra Pradesh officials are making brief visits to the area and trying to influence voters with rice distribution and heavy police presence near the border,” the minister said.

“But the Odisha government and its district administration are available to the residents throughout the year, including during natural calamities and rescue operations,” Mr. Pujari said.

Fabi Rasheed, sub-collector of Koraput, said the situation is under control and the state police and administration will take necessary steps to protect its territorial integrity. She said seven police squads have been deployed to prevent any untoward incident while the strength of the police force will be increased depending on the situation. Nine executive magistrates have also been deployed in Kotia panchayat.

Like Indo-Pak border: BJD

Meanwhile, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) likened the fight between the two states to the India-Pakistan border and blamed the Union government for the situation.

“Now the Odisha and Andhra Pradesh police forces are involved in a brawl in Neredibalas as if it were the Indo-Pak border. The central government is silent and Odisha is helpless,” said BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty.

“Is the central government silent on Andhra Pradesh’s intrusion into Odisha’s Kotia because it fears that the Telugu Desam Party may withdraw its support? With the Odisha government approaching the Supreme Court after the nomination process for the three-tier panchayat elections in Andhra Pradesh was over, Odisha is now hoping against hope,” Mr Mohanty said on X.

The border dispute between the states dates back to pre-independence and even the creation of Andhra Pradesh as a separate state.

According to the Orissa government’s instructions on the dispute, the state had exercised administrative control over these villages since 1936. The dispute arose in 1955, two years after the creation of Andhra province, when Andhra Pradesh officials attempted to collect land revenue from the villages. Odisha protested, but Andhra Pradesh claimed that it had collected revenue there since 1947 and that residents had participated in the 1954 state elections.

Andhra Pradesh’s claim was based on the 1942 boundary demarcation by M. Gilby, then Deputy Director of Survey, Madras Province. Odisha rejected this demand, arguing that Gilby wrongly assumed its delimitation in accordance with the Government of India (Orissa Constitution) Order 1936. Both states held general elections in 1967 in the disputed area.

As mediation to resolve the dispute by the then Home Minister failed in 1968, Odisha approached the Supreme Court in 1968. On 30 March 2006, the Supreme Court dealt with the original suit, saying it had no jurisdiction to decide the dispute because of the proviso to Article 131. It ordered that the status quo should be maintained by the competent authority until the dispute was settled in accordance with law.

Published – 03 Nov 2026 19:34 IST