Bureaucrats go on mass leave over officer’s assault, work hit across Odisha govt offices

On Monday, BMC additional commissioner Ratnakar Sahoo, a senior OAS officer, was dragged out of his chamber and assaulted by a group of miscreants, who asked the officer to apologise to BJP leader Jagannath Pradhan. While the police have so far arrested five persons, including BMC corporator Jeevan Rout, the Odisha unit of the BJP has also suspended five of its workers, including Rout, for their alleged involvement in the assault.

The Odisha Administrative Service Association, which announced the mass leave, placed three “non-negotiable” demands before the CM, including the immediate arrest of BJP leader Pradhan. Association members also met Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja and placed a memorandum calling Pradhan the “prime accused and kingpin” behind the attack.

The demand to arrest Pradhan assumes significance as he had on Tuesday blamed the officer, Sahoom, of misbehaving with him and a woman sanitation worker of the BMC, leading to the assault. He also condemned the assault.

The OAS association also demanded security for all field-level executive officers, including tehsildars, sub-collectors, block development officers and executive officers of civic bodies. It asked for a public condemnation of the incident by the state government.

“Considering the widespread discontentment of all the members of the Association working across the state, it has been decided that all OAS officers will continue to be on leave until the demands are met,” read a memorandum of the Association submitted to the chief secretary.

The OAS body said that such a brazen act has destroyed the morale of officers working across the state.

Odisha’s revenue minister Suresh Pujari urged the officers not to go on mass leave given the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath is currently underway in Puri, while some pockets in northern districts are seeing a flood-like situation.