Bhubaneswar: The OAS Officers’ Association in Odisha withdrew its mass leave call after BJP leader Jagannath Pradhan was arrested on Thursday night over the brutal attack on Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Additional Commissioner Ratnakar Sahoo.
“The OAS Officers’ Association has decided to call off its cease-work agitation following the arrest of Jagannath Pradhan. We have asked all our members to resume work immediately,” said president of OAS Officers’ Association Jyoti Ranjan Mishra.
Work in government offices in the state is expected to resume smoothly from Friday.
The association had demanded Pradhan’s arrest, calling him the “prime accused” and “kingpin” behind the attack. It had also issued a three-day ultimatum to the state government for his arrest after beginning a cease-work strike on Tuesday.
The BJP leader, who lost the 2024 Odisha assembly election from Bhubaneswar Central, was arrested minutes after he appeared before the office of Bhubaneswar DCP. “Earlier, 5 persons were arrested in connection with the case registered on June 30. One more person, Jagannath Pradhan, was arrested today. He surrendered before the police, following which he was told about the offence and the prima facie evidence against him. We have sent him to the court,” said Bhubaneswar DCP Jagmohan Meena.
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The SDJM court, however, rejected his bail plea and sent him to 14-day judicial custody.
Pradhan has been charged with assault and criminal conspiracy under Sections 333/132/121(1)/121(2) /351(2) /62/304/54/61 (2)/189(2)/190/3(5) of the BNS. He is expected to appeal in the Sessions Court.
The BJP leader has denied any involvement in the incident: “I have no connection with the attack on the BMC additional commissioner. This is a conspiracy to malign my party and our government.”
While reiterating that he had publicly condemned the attack, Pradhan alleged that it was an attempt to defame him and his party. “As a result of this protest, the services and assessment of damage and compensation for the people in the forest may be affected, and the Bahuda Yatra and the Sunabesha of Mahaprabhu may also be affected. If my arrest helps resolve the situation, I am ready to fully cooperate with the investigation,” he added.
The Additional Commissioner had mentioned Pradhan’s name in the FIR filed at the Kharvela Nagar police station after the brutal attack by a group of around six miscreants at the BMC headquarters on Monday morning when he dragged from his office and assaulted in full public view while conducting the weekly public grievance hearing session in his chamber at the BMC office.
In his FIR, the Additional Commissioner mentioned that six to seven unknown individuals physically assaulted him without any provocation In front of the corporator of ward 29, Jeevan Rout. He further stated that they threatened him and attempted to forcibly drag him into a vehicle, saying that he must “come to Sri Jagannath Pradhan and apologize”.
Apart from Pradhan, BJP corporator Aparaup Narayan Rout, Sanjeev Mishra, Sachikanta Swain, Rashmi Mahapatra and Debasish Pradhan, all affiliated to BJP and later suspended from the party, have been arrested over the attack.