Odisha BJP Suspends 5 Leaders Over BMC Attack, Civic Officer Says Assailants 'Tried To Abduct Me'

Odisha BJP’s state leadership has taken stern action following the violence at the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) office, with BJP State President Manmohan Samal suspending five party leaders. Meanwhile, the Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) officers have postponed their planned mass leave after assurances from Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi that strong measures would be taken against those responsible for assaulting a senior OAS officer.

According to a statement issued by the BJP Media Cell, Odisha, the five suspended leaders are Corporator Aparup Narayan Raut, Rashmi Ranjan Mohapatra, Debashish Pradhan, Sachikanth Swain, and Sanjeev Mishra, news agency ANI reported. They were suspended from the primary membership of the BJP based on allegations related to the violence at the BMC office on Monday.

Speaking to ANI, Additional Commissioner of the BMC, Ratnakar Sahoo, narrated the incident, "Around 11:45 hours yesterday, I was listening to public grievances. Suddenly, nearly 5-6 persons with a corporator named Jeevan came. He asked me if I had misbehaved with Jagga Bhai. To which, I said no. Suddenly, these people brutally attacked me. They dragged me and also tried to abduct me and take me to a vehicle. One of the corporators rescued me. The mayor came to my rescue. An FIR has been launched in this case...."

Odisha Administrative Service Officers Put Protest On Hold

An official told news agency PTI that the Odisha Administrative Service Association decided to defer its mass leave protest, which was scheduled to begin on Tuesday. This decision followed Chief Minister Majhi’s assurance that “the culprits and the perpetrators behind the scene, however powerful they may be, shall be strictly punished as per stringent provisions of law,” as stated by OAS Association president Jyoti Ranjan Mishra.

Mishra further said, “Hence, in reverence to the CM’s appeal, the mass leave from July 1 is not called off but is hereby postponed.”

Assault Sparks Arrests, Sanitation Workers’ Protest

Bhubaneswar police informed that BMC Additional Commissioner Ratnakar Sahoo was allegedly dragged from his office and assaulted by a group of miscreants on Monday. So far, three individuals, including BJP corporator Jeevan Rout, have been arrested, and efforts are underway to apprehend others involved.

The state government held two high-level meetings with the OAS Association on Monday night. The first meeting involved Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja and DGP Y B Khurania, while the second was chaired by Chief Minister Majhi in the presence of the chief secretary, DGP, police commissioner, and advocate general. The meetings continued till midnight, according to officials.

In response to the assault, sanitation workers in Bhubaneswar halted their services, demanding the immediate arrest of all those accused.

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