The Odisha Administrative Service Association (OAS) on Tuesday postponed a mass leave after chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi assured strict action against those involved in the assault on Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation additional commissioner Ratnakar Sahu.
A group of men, including BJP corporator Jeevan Rout, assaulted Ratnakar Sahu in his office on Monday. (Sourced)
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A group of men, including ruling Bharatiya Janata Party BJP corporator Jeevan Rout, assaulted Sahu in his office during a grievance redressal meeting on Monday. Majhi met OAS members late Monday and said the accused, regardless of their influence, will be punished under the law.
Sahu said Rout accused him of insulting BJP leader Jagannath Pradhan during a telephonic conversation. “Despite my repeated pleas, they continued the physical assault, causing serious injuries.... they beat me brutally in full public view with an attempt to murder...” Sahu said in his complaint. He said his staff and officers at the scene prevented his abduction.
Rout and two others have been arrested and charged with attempted murder. On Monday, the OAS announced all its officers would go on mass leave from Tuesday to protest the attack on Sahu. “The incident is not an isolated one...a narrative has been built for the past year to humiliate government servants and even resort to bodily threat, physical assault, and mental agony. ...represents a grave threat to the safety and dignity of officers across the state... An attack of such nature on a senior officer, while on duty, is an attack on the very foundation of the administrative framework.”
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The opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Congress called the assault evidence of “jungle raj” under the BJP. In a post on X, Congress shared a video of the attack. BJD chief Naveen Patnaik urged Majhi to take immediate and exemplary action against those involved in the assault. Patnaik said no action had been taken when the son of a former governor assaulted an officer.
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The opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Congress called the assault evidence of “jungle raj” under the BJP. In a post on X, Congress shared a video of the attack. BJD chief Naveen Patnaik urged Majhi to take immediate and exemplary action against those involved in the assault. Patnaik said no action had been taken when the son of a former governor assaulted an officer.
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BJP leader Aparajita Sarangi condemned the attack, saying the BJP does not support or endorse such acts. She demanded strict action against the culprits and called for disciplinary measures against BJP members found involved.
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.
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Home/India News/Odisha assault: Officers association postpones mass leave after assurances
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