Bhubaneshwar: A shocking incident unfolded at the Bhubaneshwar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Monday, June 30, wherein senior official Ratnakar Sahoo, Additional Commissioner of BMC, was violently assaulted and dragged out of his chamber by a group of men, including a BJP corporator.
The incident, captured in a video, shows the officer being kicked in the face and pulled down a flight of stairs by the attackers.
According to Sahoo, he was attacked at around 11.30 am during a routine public grievance hearing. “Five to six people, including BMC corporator Jeevan Raut, barged into my chamber. The corporator asked if I had misbehaved with ‘Jag bhai’ (allegedly referring to BJP leader Jagannath Pradhan). When I denied it, the people with him manhandled me, dragged me out, thrashed me and tried to force me into a vehicle,” he told reporters, as quoted by NDTV.
Footage of the assault shows the officer being pushed to the ground, beaten repeatedly, and forcefully taken down the stairs towards a vehicle.
Three Arrested, BJD and Officials Stage Protests
An FIR has been registered in the case, and three people, Jeevan Raut, Rashmi Mahapatra and Debashish Pradhan, have been arrested so far. The incident prompted an immediate road blockade by BJD corporators and BMC staff on Janpath Road, one of the capital’s busiest stretches.
The Odisha Administrative Service Association has announced a “mass leave” beginning July 1 in protest. “Nobody is safe here. A government officer was dragged out and assaulted. There was an attempt to abduct him. An attempt to murder case should be filed,” said BMC Mayor Sulochana Das.
Political Outrage Across Parties
BJD chief and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed “deep shock” over what he described as a “brutal kicking and assault”. Calling on current CM Mohan Charan Majhi to take “immediate and exemplary action”, Patnaik added, “If a senior officer is not safe in his own office, what law and order can citizens expect?”
Congress leader and Barabati-Cuttack MLA also echoed the outrage, calling it an “attack on the entire administrative system". "I stand in full solidarity with all government officers, who must be protected to perform their duties fearlessly. I urge the Commissionerate Police to take swift action against the attackers and those behind this act. Odisha deserves law and order — not jungle raj,” she added.
