Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) Association has deferred its mass leave decision following talks with Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi over the assault on Ratnakar Sahoo, Additional Commissioner of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC).
During the meeting held late on Monday, the Chief Minister reportedly assured the association that strong action would be taken against those involved in the assault on the senior OAS officer and no accused would be spared.
Majhi, along with the Chief Secretary, the Director General of Police (DGP), and the twin-city Commissioner of Police, held discussions with representatives of the OAS Association for more than an hour. During the meeting, the Chief Minister assured that strict action would be taken against all those involved in the incident.
Responding to the CM’s appeal to trust the legal process, the OAS Association has decided to postpone the mass leave that was scheduled to begin on July 1. The Association made it clear that the protest has not been called off entirely.
The OAS officers had earlier announced a mass leave to protest the alleged assault on BMC Additional Commissioner Ratnakar Sahoo.
The incident occurred inside the BMC office during a public grievance redressal meeting, when a group of around six miscreants barged in and physically attacked the senior official. The senior officer was allegedly kicked, punched and dragged by the attackers in front of a BMC corporator.
Based on a complaint lodged by Sahoo, the Commissionerate Police registered a case and launched a probe. Three persons – Jeevan Rout, Rashmi Mahapatra, and Debashis Pradhan – have so far been arrested in connection with the incident. They have been charged under the following serious sections of BNS: BNS Sections: 333, 132, 121(1), 121(2), 109, 351(2), 62, 140(2), 304, 54, 61(2), 189(2), 190, and 3(5).
While the motive behind the attack is yet to be ascertained, the accused are reportedly members of the state BJP Yuva Morcha. They allegedly tried to abduct the officer after assaulting him.
Condemning the attack, the OAS Association had passed a unanimous resolution seeking exemplary punishment for the culprits and demanded enhanced security measures for government officers at their workplaces.
After the meeting with the CM, the association said in a statement that Majhi requested the officers to not proceed on leave or take any such measures and appealed to have faith in him.
“Hence in reverence to the HCM ‘s appeal, the mass leave tomorrow is not called off rather is hereby postponed. However, the state association requests all districts associations and members of the fraternity shall meet tomorrow and condemn the incident along with sending a copy of the resolution to the state association. Further course of action shall be intimated by the State Association,” it said.
“All other associations including the IAS/OFS/OSS associations and others has pledged their support to our cause,” it added.
