Bhubaneswar MP Sarangi condemns assault of Municipal officer, demands strict action

New Delhi: Bhubaneswar MP and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Aparajita Sarangi condemned the assault of Ratnakar Sahoo, Additional Commissioner of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, saying that the act does not align with the party’s principles.
Some miscreants have allegedly assaulted Additional Commissioner of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), Ratnakar Sahoo, inside the office of the civic body during a grievance redressal meeting on Monday.

Sarangi requested Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to take strict action against those who commit similar crimes.
“The incident that happened in the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation is condemnable… The police are taking action. I request that the CM and the police take strict action against those who committed such a crime to prevent further repetition of such crimes,” she told ANI.
Noting that she knew a few of them, she said that the BJP’s ideology and its policies do not teach one to commit such an act.

“I have been told that they are BJP party workers, and I also know some of them. BJP’s ideology and its policies do not teach us to commit such an act. Those who love the BJP’s ideology and policies – they’ll never do such a thing. They cannot be members of the BJP. I condemn the act. I think the law will take its course,” she added.

The Commissionerate Police have arrested three persons after registering a case in this regard.

The Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) Association has decided to postpone its planned mass leave protest over the assault on Ratnakar Sahoo, following a meeting with Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.

Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi met with the members of the OAS Association for almost an hour at 11 PM today, along with the CS, DGP, CP, and the AG, assuring them that the culprits and perpetrators behind the scenes will be strictly punished.

“However, the state association requests that all district associations and members of the fraternity meet tomorrow and condemn the incident, along with sending a copy of the resolution to the state association. Further courses of action shall be intimated by the State Association,” the association said in a statement.

The incident has sparked a political row in the state, with the primary opposition parties in Odisha strongly condemning the assault on Ratnakar Sahoo.

Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief and former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday expressed his deep shock at the “brutal kicking and assault” of the Additional Commissioner of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and called upon Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to take immediate and exemplary action against the guilty, including “political leaders who orchestrated and conspired this shameful attack”.
Patnaik said on X that the official was “dragged from his office and brutally kicked” and attached a video.

“I am utterly shocked seeing this video. Today, Shri Ratnakar Sahoo, OAS Additional Commissioner, BMC, a senior officer of the rank of Additional Secretary, was dragged from his office and brutally kicked and assaulted in front of a BJP Corporator, allegedly linked to a defeated BJP MLA Candidate,” Patnaik said.

The BJD leader said what is more appalling is that this happened in broad daylight, in the heart of the capital city, to a senior officer while he was in his office, hearing grievances of people.

Hitting out at the BJP government in the state, he said, “If a senior officer is not safe in his own office, then what law and order will ordinary citizens expect from the Government?”

“I ask @MohanMOdisha Ji to take immediate and exemplary action against not only those who perpetrated but more importantly the political leaders who orchestrated and conspired this shameful attack. The people named by the officer in his FIR have behaved like criminals,” he said.

“I only hope that Shri Majhi directs immediate action to be taken to restore faith in his government and not allow this heinous act to go unpunished like the assault on an officer by the ex-Governor’s son. The people of Odisha will not forgive this,” he added.