BJP chief Jagannath Pradhan was arrested late on Thursday night in reference to the assault on Ratnakar Sahoo, Extra Commissioner of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Company, ending a mass protest by civil servants that had severely affected the functioning of State authorities workplaces.
Mr. Pradhan, the alleged mastermind behind the assault, was arrested after he surrendered earlier than Deputy Commissioner of Police Jagmohan Meena, who knowledgeable him of the costs in opposition to him.
“I’ve come right here to cooperate with the investigation,” the BJP chief mentioned and asserted that he had no reference to the assault on Mr. Sahoo. The arrest of Mr. Pradhan has come as a humiliation for the ruling occasion.
Disaster averted
The arrest has averted a significant administrative disaster, with members of the Odisha Administrative Service Affiliation (OASA), the biggest physique of civil servants within the State, resuming work. There are 2,248 sanctioned posts for OAS officers within the State, and greater than 1,800 officers are posted in key administrative roles on the district and State ranges.
The OASA had made it clear that its members wouldn’t return to responsibility till Mr. Pradhan was arrested, naming him because the prime accused and kingpin of the assault on Mr. Sahoo.
The assault occurred on June 30 when a gaggle of BJP employees, allegedly linked to Mr. Pradhan, dragged Mr. Sahoo out of his workplace and beat him up.
The video of the assault went viral, evoking widespread condemnation from all quarters. Town police had arrested 5 individuals in reference to the assault. The State unit of the BJP had suspended 5 occasion employees, together with a corporator, from its main membership.
Revealed – July 04, 2025 01:30 am IST