Odisha BJP leader arrested over assault on govt. officer; civil servants return to work

Additional Commissioner of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation was dragged out of his office and assaulted on June 30; videos of the incident went viral, sparking outrage, mass protest by civil servants that severely affected the functioning of State government offices

BJP leader Jagannath Pradhan was arrested late on Thursday evening in connection with the assault on Ratnakar Sahoo, Additional Commissioner of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, ending a mass protest by civil servants that had severely affected the functioning of State government offices.

Mr. Pradhan, the alleged mastermind behind the assault, was arrested after he surrendered before Deputy Commissioner of Police Jagmohan Meena, who informed him of the charges against him.

“I have come here to cooperate with the investigation,” the BJP leader said and asserted that he had no connection with the attack on Mr. Sahoo. The arrest of Mr. Pradhan has come as an embarrassment for the ruling party.

Crisis averted

The arrest has averted a major administrative crisis, with members of the Odisha Administrative Service Association (OASA), the largest body of civil servants in the State, resuming work. There are 2,248 sanctioned posts for OAS officers in the State, and more than 1,800 officers are posted in key administrative roles at the district and State levels.

The OASA had made it clear that its members would not return to duty until Mr. Pradhan was arrested, naming him as the prime accused and kingpin of the attack on Mr. Sahoo.

The assault occurred on June 30 when a group of BJP workers, allegedly linked to Mr. Pradhan, dragged Mr. Sahoo out of his office and beat him up.

The video of the assault went viral, evoking widespread condemnation from all quarters. The city police had arrested five persons in connection with the assault. The State unit of the BJP had suspended five party workers, including a corporator, from its primary membership.