Odisha IAS Officer Assault Row: Bureaucrats On Mass Leave, Govt Work Hit Across 20+ Districts

Last Updated:July 03, 2025, 17:39 IST

The protest began after Ratnakar Sahoo, Additional Commissioner of the BMC, was reportedly dragged out of his office and assaulted by a group of miscreants on Monday

The protesting officers are demanding the immediate arrest of all those involved in the attack.

Government work across Odisha has been severely affected as senior officers of the Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) and Odisha Revenue Service (ORS) have gone on mass leave in protest against the alleged assault of a senior officer.

The protest began after Ratnakar Sahoo, Additional Commissioner of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), was reportedly dragged out of his office and assaulted by a group of miscreants on Monday. According to police, five people have been arrested so far, including BJP corporator Jeevan Rout.

The incident has sparked outrage among civil servants across the state. Though the OAS Association had initially called for a mass leave from Tuesday, it was put on hold following an assurance from newly appointed Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.

However, despite the official postponement, many officers in over 20 districts, including Cuttack, Ganjam, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Sambalpur, and Mayurbhanj, chose to go ahead with the protest.

The result has been near paralysis of government work at the district and local levels. Essential public services, routine administration, and fieldwork have been badly hit.

The protesting officers are demanding the immediate arrest of all those involved in the attack, including BJP leader Jagannath Pradhan, who they allege was involved in planning the assault. They have also raised concerns over the safety of officers on duty.

In response to the incident, a meeting was held at the BMC office to discuss improvements in security. BMC Mayor Sulochana Das said the private security agency working with the Corporation has been asked to explain its failure.

She added that armed guards may be deployed at the office if needed. The office’s CCTV cameras, which were not working at the time of the incident, will also be repaired and brought back into service.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Majhi has called for a high-level meeting to resolve the situation. The state government has urged the protesting officers to return to work, as continued disruption is affecting governance and public services across Odisha.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Odisha (Orissa), India, India

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