Bhubaneswar: BJP leader Jagannath Pradhan was arrested on Thursday night in connection with the brutal attack on Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Additional Commissioner Ratnakar Sahoo three days ago.
Sources said Pradhan was arrested after he surrendered at the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Bhubaneswar.
Soon after arriving at the DCP office, the BJP leader said that he was ready to cooperate in the investigation by the police into the assault on senior OAS officer Ratnakar Sahoo at BMC headquarters on Monday.
“I have come here to cooperate with the investigation,” Pradhan stated, adding, “If my arrest can resolve the issue, I am ready to cooperate.”
The name of Pradhan, who had unsuccessfully contested the Assembly elections last year, was mentioned in the FIR filed by Sahoo at the Kharvela Nagar Police Station after the brutal attack by a group of around six miscreants at the BMC headquarters on Monday.
Police had made tight security arrangement and deployed adequate force to avoid any untoward incident as hundreds of Pradhan’s supporters had gathered near the office of the DCP.
Before surrendering before the police, Pradhan told reporters that he has already condemned the attack on the senior OAS officer. He denied his involvement in the assault on the BMC official and alleged that attempts are being made to malign his image and defame the state government.
Noting that the members of the OAS Association have been on cease work agitation demanding his arrest, the BJP leader said the ongoing protest by the officers is likely to affect relief operations in flood-affected areas.
Moreover, the Bahuda Yatra and Suna Besha of Lord Jagannath and siblings should be conducted smoothly in Puri. “If my arrest helps resolve the situation, I am ready to fully cooperate with the investigation,” he said
Accompanied by a large number of supporters, Pradhan reached the Bhubaneswar DCP’s office in the evening. His supporters later staged a demonstration near Vani Vihar Square.
Following his arrest, Pradhan was taken to the Capital Hospital for medical examination.
The BJP leader’s arrest was among the key demands of the Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) Association, which described him as the prime accused and ‘kingpin’ behind the brutal assault on the BMC Additional Commissioner.
The Commissionerate Police had earlier arrested five persons in connection with the case. They are Sanjeev Mishra, Sachikanta Swain, Jeevan Rout, Rashmi Mahapatra, and Debasish Pradhan.
The state unit of BJP has also suspended five persons from the party for their alleged involvement in the assault.
