Bhubaneswar: Police have arrested Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jagannath Pradhan in connection with the assault of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Additional Commissioner Ratnakar Sahoo.
Pradhan was taken into custody late Thursday night after appearing at the deputy commissioner of police’s office. With his arrest, the total number of people arrested in the case has risen to six. He was taken to the Capital Hospital for a medical examination following his arrest.
The incident occurred June 30 during a public grievance hearing at the BMC office, where a group of six to seven individuals allegedly attacked Sahoo. In his complaint, Sahoo alleged that the attackers grabbed him by the collar, dragged and assaulted him. He also accused Pradhan of making derogatory remarks.
Earlier, five others were arrested in the case: BJP corporators Jiban Raut, Rashmi Ranjan Mahapatra, Debasish Pradhan, Sachikanta Swain and Sanjeeb Mishra.
The Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) Association alleged that Pradhan is the “main accused” and “mastermind” of the attack. The association submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, demanding Pradhan’s immediate arrest and stronger security for field officers.
The OAS body issued a three-day ultimatum, calling for public condemnation of the incident and action against those involved. Officers across more than 20 districts went on mass leave to protest the incident, affecting administrative work statewide.
PNN
