Bhubaneswar: As official work was severely hit due to a ‘cease work’ protest by Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) and Odisha Revenue Service (ORS) officers, the state government on Wednesday appealed to them to resume duty.
The officers abstained from duty since Tuesday protesting the brutal assault on Additional Commissioner of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Ratnakar Sahoo in the office building on Monday.
Based on the complaint lodged by Sahoo, a senior OAS officer, five people have been arrested so far in connection with the incident. To resolve the ongoing deadlock, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi had also convened a high-level meeting with senior officials.
After the meeting, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari urged the protesting officers to end their agitation and assured that no such incident would happen again.
Stating that the incident has shocked everyone, he said nobody is supporting the assault on the senior officer. Five people have been arrested so far in connection with the incident, while other accused will be nabbed and forwarded to court, the Minister told reporters.
Noting that the representatives of the OAS Association have already held meetings with the chief minister and the chief secretary, Pujari said if they want, the government is ready for further discussions.
“As this is not the proper time to go on ‘cease work’, I appeal to the officers to resume their duties. We can hold discussions on their demands,” he said.
The Minister further stated that in view of the prevailing flood situation in parts of northern Odisha and the Rath Yatra festival, the officers should resume their work.
Regarding the OAS association’s demand for arrest of BJP leader Jagannath Pradhan over the attack, he said investigation by the police is underway and all aspects are being probed. Once the investigation is complete, it can be ascertained who was behind the assault and all should allow the law to take its course instead of taking hasty steps, he said.
The OAS Association had given a call for a ‘mass leave’ from Tuesday over the incident, but later postponed it after getting an assurance from the CM.
However, despite the association’s decision to defer the agitation, OAS and ORS officers in several districts have gone ahead with cease work protest.
