BJP Suspends 5 Leaders For Assault On Bhubaneswar Civic Body Official

Condemning the incident, BMC Commissioner Rajesh Prabhakar Patil said that the administration will assess how such incidents can be averted in the future.

During a grievance hearing session on Monday, a group of young men physically assaulted Ratnakar Sahu and forcefully dragged him out of his office.

Political Slugfest Over Assault

Following the violence, opposition parties, Congress and Biju Janata Dal (BJD), have launched attacks on the BJP government over the law and order situation in Odisha.

The BJD alleged that the attack took place in the presence of BJP corporator Jeevan Raut and  Jagannath Pradhan, a BJP MLA candidate in the 2024 polls, is the mastermind of the assault.

In a post on X, the BJD wrote, “The law and order situation in the state is in disarray, the double-engine government of Odisha is failing miserably. A group of 6/7 goon-like individuals entered the BMC office and brutally attacked the Additional Commissioner. This incident occurred in the presence of BJP corporator Jeevan Raut. It is alleged that the defeated BJP MLA candidate Jagannath Pradhan was behind this incident."

The Congress party strongly condemned the alleged attack on Ratnakar Sahu, the Additional Commissioner of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, calling it the “jungle raj" of the BJP, where criminals are openly indulging in “thuggery".

The party claimed that BJP leader Aparupa Raut and his supporters allegedly beat up Sahu and even tried to kidnap him.

In a post on X, the Congress party shared a video and wrote, “In Bhubaneswar, Odisha, BJP leader Aparupa Raut, along with his goons, is beating up the Additional Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation. An attempt was also made to kidnap Additional Commissioner Ratnakar Sahu. Somehow, the Commissioner managed to save his life. This is the jungle raj of the BJP, where criminals are openly indulging in thuggery."

BJD chief and former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik also expressed his deep shock at “brutal kicking and assault" of the official and called upon Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to take immediate and exemplary action against the guilty, including “political leaders who orchestrated and conspired this shameful attack."

Meanwhile, BJP’s Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi also condemned the assault on Sahoo and said such behaviour goes against her party’s values and added that the law would take its own course.

In a Facebook post, Sarangi wrote, “We are proud of the ideology of Bharatiya Janata Party. This kind of behaviour is certainly not in line with the philosophy/ideology of the Party."

“I condemn this behaviour towards a Government Officer on Duty. The Law will take its course," the post further said.

Officials Threatened To Go On Mass Leave

The Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) Association had threatened to go on mass leave in protest against the assault. However, it later decided to postpone its planned mass leave following a meeting with CM Majhi, who assured that the culprits and perpetrators behind the attack would be strictly punished.