Odisha services hit as OAS officers continue strike seeking arrest of BJP leader

Hindustan Times

2 days ago

Nearly 1,500 officers of the Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) and Odisha Revenue Service (ORS) across more than 20 districts continued their indefinite mass leave on Thursday in protest against the assault on Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation additional commissioner Ratnakar Sahoo. Visuals from the alleged assault on an Odisha administrative officer. (Video grab)
The strike, which began on July 1, has disrupted essential public services, leaving citizens grappling with delays in critical administrative processes, from land records to public grievance redressal, as the state government scrambles to address the escalating crisis. The flashpoint of this agitation was the incident on June 30 when Sahoo was dragged from his office chamber and assaulted by a group of miscreants allegedly at the behest of BJP leader Jagannath Pradhan.
The attackers reportedly asked Sahu to apologise to Pradhan during a public grievance hearing, an act that the Odisha Administrative Service Association (OASA) has condemned as an 'assault on the dignity of public service.' A video of the incident, widely circulated on social media, sparked outrage among bureaucrats and the public, amplifying calls for swift justice.
So far, the Police Commissionerate has arrested BJP corporator Aparaup Narayan Rout, Sanjeev Mishra, Sachikanta Swain, Rashmi Mahapatra and Debasish Pradhan. BJP has also suspended them from the party.
Though the OAS officers initially agreed to postpone their strike after their meeting with chief minister on Monday, have refused to join work while making three 'non-negotiable' demands: the immediate arrest of Jagannath Pradhan who they called 'prime accused and kingpin', robust security measures for field-level officers such as tehsildars, block development officers, and sub-collectors; and exemplary action to restore confidence in the administrative framework.
The association has vowed to continue the strike until these demands are met, with officers in districts like Cuttack, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Jagatsinghpur, Bhadrak, Rayagada, Bolangir, Sonepur, Ganjam, and others joining the protest.
The officers claim that Pradhan's actions have created an environment of fear and disrespect, making it difficult for them to discharge their duties effectively and impartially.
The state government, caught off guard by the scale of the agitation, has appealed to the officers to resume work, citing the public interest. Revenue minister Suresh Pujari said this is not an appropriate time for officers to go on strike, especially with the ongoing Puri Ratha Yatra and prevailing flood-like conditions in parts of the state. He urged the officers to return to work and reiterated the state government is open to discussions.
The state BJP leadership in Odisha seems to be backing Pradhan denying the allegations against him and calling the strike politically motivated. 'These are baseless accusations designed to divert attention from the government's failures,' a BJP spokesperson said. Pradhan met party's state unit president Manmohan Samal on Wednesday evening and said he has offered his full cooperation in whatever legal action is taken against him as per law. 'The state government will take a further call and if something is decided, we will inform,' he said.