Bhubaneswar: In protest against the assault on a senior colleague while on duty, Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) officers continued their ‘cease work’ agitation for the third consecutive day across the state, excluding Puri and flood-affected areas, an official said Thursday.
The OAS officers are on mass leave in response to the assault of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Additional Commissioner Ratnakar Sahoo, who was allegedly dragged out of his office and attacked by a group of miscreants Monday.
Following a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Wednesday, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari appealed to the officers to end their agitation in view of the ongoing floods and the upcoming Rath Yatra.
So far, five people have been arrested, while the remaining accused will also be apprehended and forwarded to court, Pujari had assured.
Despite the state government’s appeal, the officers continued their protest for the third consecutive day Thursday.
Due to the strike, administrative functions and public service delivery have been severely disrupted across Odisha, including Bhubaneswar.
The officers have been demanding the arrest of BJP leader Jagannath Pradhan, who allegedly sent a group of miscreants to assault the OAS officer.
“We demand the arrest of Pradhan, who is behind the attack on the officer. We have full faith in our chief minister that he will take strong action against the conspirator,” said Jyoti Ranjam Mishra, president, OAS Association.
He said OAS officers deployed in flood-affected areas have been instructed to continue their duties and are doing so diligently.
Similarly, over 100 OAS officers appointed in Puri for the Rath Yatra are continuing to serve as scheduled.
While again appealing to the agitating officers to postpone their protest, Pujari said, “Have faith in us. It would not be proper to arrest someone without a proper investigation and evidence.”
Commenting on the incident, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, “No one is above the law. No one, including our party workers, should take the law into their own hands. I have full faith that the state government would take appropriate action in this incident.”
Meanwhile, the state’s political atmosphere is heating up over the issue, with the BJP alleging that the BJD was behind the protest to defame the government.
“The OAS Association’s strike is politically motivated to defame the government. They are holding the protest on the instructions of the BJD leadership,” alleged BJP MP Pradip Purohit.
However, BJD leader and MLA Sarada Jena rejected the allegation and said it is not proper to drag the party into the issue.
“They don’t have the courage to take action against the BJP goons who have committed the assault on the officer,” Jena said.
PTI
