Bhubaneswar: A senior official of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) was allegedly assaulted by a group of miscreants at the office while he was conducting a grievance redressal meeting on Monday.
As per information, around six unidentified youths entered the office room of Additional Commissioner of BMC, Ratnakar Sahoo and attacked him without provocation. While the motive behind the assault remains unclear, a video of the incident later went viral on social media, triggering sharp criticism from different quarters.
Sahoo, a senior officer of the Odisha Administrative Service (OAS), said he has reported the matter to higher authorities. The officer also lodged a complaint at Kharavela Nagar Police Station.
Based on the FIR, three persons have been arrested by Commissionerate Police so far. They have been identified as Jeevan Rout, Rashmi Mahapatra and Debashis Pradhan, police said.
The three will be forwarded to the court under strict sections of law as per the FIR filed by the officer.
Further investigation is in progress to ascertain the involvement of others persons in the assault.
Reacting sharply to the incident, BMC employees staged a dharna near the main entrance of the corporation building and ceased work for the day as a mark of protest. They demanded immediate action against the culprits and enhanced security for civic staff.
Sahoo said the attackers assaulted him in the presence of a BMC corporator, Jiban Rout. They also dragged the additional commissioner out of his office chamber, thrashed me and even tried to forcefully take him away in their vehicle.
Mayor Sulochana Das also strongly condemn the assault on the additional commissioner and sought action.
Senior BJP leader and Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi condemned the incident and said the law should take its course in the matter. “I condemn this behaviour towards a Government Officer on Duty,” Aprajita said in a post on X.
One being informed, a team from Kharavela Nagar Police Station visited the BMC office and reportedly verified the footages of the CCTV cameras installed on the premises to identify the accused persons and take action against them.
Following the incident, police personnel in strength were deployed near the BMC office to prevent any further trouble.
