Bhubaneswar: Amid growing demand for his arrest in BMC Additional Commissioner Assault case, BJP leader Jgannath Pradhan on Wednesday met party’s Odisha unit president Manmohan Samal and offered full cooperation with whatever legal action is taken as per the law.
Pradhan visited the party office in Bhubaneswar in the evening. “State party president had called me and we held discussions,” he said while emerging from the party office in after over an hour-long meeting with Samal.
Describing his meeting with Pradhan as an internal matter of the party, the state BJP chief said the attack on the senior OAS officer has been condemned by everybody. The state government will take further decision and if something is decided, party spokesperson will inform the media, Samal said.
Earlier, Pradhan stated in a social media post that the recent incident at Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) was ‘unfortunate and condemnable.’ He further said that will cooperate with whatever legal action is taken as per law in interest of Odisha and the state government.
“For the past two days, the opposition has been trying to cook a political narrative out of the BMC incident. I have said it before, and I say it again—this incident is deeply saddening and deserves strong condemnation,” the BJP leader said in a post on X.
Noting that the issue has brought the administration to a halt and may create law and order situation in the state, Pradhan said in view of the situation he is reiterating his respect for the law and assures full cooperation with any legal proceedings.
Pradhan’s remarks came amid mounting pressure from different quarters, including the Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) Association, which has demanded his arrest over the brutal BMC Additional Commissioner Ratnakar Sahoo on Monday.
While Pradhan has denied his involvement in the attack, he acknowledged that the incident was regrettable and called for lawful action.
The controversy has sparked a political storm in Odisha, with opposition BJD as well as OAS Officers Association and ORS Officers Association demanding accountability and enhanced security for government officials across the State.
Based on the complaint lodged by senior OAS officer Ratnakar Sahoo, police have so far arrested five persons, including a BJP corporator.
Meanwhile, the BJP has suspended several party workers allegedly involved in the incident.
