Latest news with #JagannathPradhan
The Hindu
05-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Odisha BJP reluctant to defend party leader Jagannath Pradhan arrested for attack on govt. officer
The Bharatiya Janata Party in Odisha appears to be on the back foot over backing party leader Jagannath Pradhan, who was sent to 14-day judicial custody after his arrest for allegedly conspiring to attack a senior bureaucrat of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation. The party has been reluctant to fully defend its leader, already grappling with a tarnished image following the death of three devotees in a stampede during the Rath Yatra and a spate of gang-rape incidents. The broad daylight assault on the Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) officer by BJP workers further tied the party's hands. The situation worsened when OAS officers pushed back, demanding the arrest of Mr. Pradhan — whom they described as the prime accused and kingpin of the conspiracy — as a 'non-negotiable' condition. The mass leave by officers had crippled functioning of district and State level offices. At a time when the Mohan Majhi government was on n celebration spree, marking one year in office, these unsavoury developments forced the BJP to tread cautiously over its public image. On Wednesday (July 2, 2025), it briefly appeared that Mr. Pradhan — who had unsuccessfully contested the Assembly election from Bhubaneswar Central — had secured tacit support from the party after a two-and-a-half-hour meeting with top leadership at the party office, where he presented his version of events. However, within 24 hours, the leadership reconsidered. Party insiders said both the central and state units distanced themselves from Mr. Pradhan, concerned about further reputational damage. Meanwhile, former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik remained relentless in his attack on the ruling party, accusing it of presiding over a deteriorating law and order situation and mismanaging the Rath Yatra — the most revered festival for Odias. Bhubaneswar MP and BJP spokesperson Aparajita Sarangi further hardened her stance on the assault of a government official. 'It takes courage to admit a mistake. Had my own son been involved in the June 30 attack on a senior officer of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, I would have called the police to arrest him. It is our duty to remain humble and act with dignity,' she said. On July 1, Ms. Sarangi had strongly condemned the incident, stating she had never witnessed anything like it before. She asserted that the law must take its own course and called for strict punishment to ensure such acts are not repeated. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also said guilty would be punished. Senior ministers in Mohan Majhi Government were also seen reiterating similar line. Though State BJP immediately suspended five of its members including a corporator from the primary membership, it was yet to take a stand on Mr. Pradhan.
Time of India
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Odisha babus on mass leave, demand arrest of BJP's Jagannath Pradhan
Odisha Administrative Service officers are on strike. They demand the arrest of BJP leader Jagannath Pradhan. The strike follows an attack on Ratnakar Sahoo. Sahoo is the Additional Commissioner of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation. The OAS Association met with the chief secretary. They want the government to condemn the attack. Essential services continue during the strike. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads New Delhi: The mass strike called by the Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) officers has entered the third day with the OAS Association demanding the immediate arrest of BJP leader Jagannath Pradhan , who is supposed to be behind the attack on Additional Commissioner of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation , Ratnakar Sahoo."On Wednesday, we met the chief secretary and submitted our demands. Police have arrested a few people. But the main person behind the attack on the senior officer, BJP leader Jagannath Pradhan, has not been arrested," Jyoti Ranjan Mishra, president, OAS Association, told ET. "We have categorically demanded the arrest of Pradhan and public condemnation from the government acknowledging the gravity of the attack and affirming its commitment to protect government officers."Mishra says around 2,300 OAS officers, along with 1,200 officers of the Odisha Revenue Service, are currently on strike. "We have ensured that essential services and work related to the Rath Yatra should continue smoothly," he June 30, Sahoo was in his office when some people approached him and started misbehaving with him. "They claimed to be the associate of Jagannath Pradhan and accused the officer of a heated talk with Pradhan in the morning on phone. They dragged him, physically abused him and even tried to kidnap him," Mishra added. "Even after video clips of the abuse went viral, Pradhan took to social media to further threaten the officer. That irked the OAS officers, and we met the CM on the same day."Pradhan contested from the Bhubaneswar Central assembly election in 2024 as a BJP candidate and lost the election by 37 votes. In total, he has lost four consecutive elections from the seat, one as an independent and three as a BJP BJP government in the state has assured the officers that they will take action against those responsible for the attack and has appealed to them to join work.
Hindustan Times
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Odisha services hit as OAS officers continue strike seeking arrest of BJP leader
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.
Indian Express
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Two incidents of assault, two states, one story — abuse of power
Two incidents of assault in two states this week tell the same dismal story: About the rule of law being flouted by the powerful, and of the sense of impunity that makes this a recurring event. In Himachal Pradesh, Anirudh Singh, the state's Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister, was booked on Tuesday for allegedly assaulting two officials of the National Highways Authority of India during a site visit. Just a day earlier, in Odisha, an official of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation was dragged out of a grievance redressal meeting that he was presiding over in his chamber and beaten up by a group of individuals, who allegedly demanded that he apologise for misbehaving with BJP leader Jagannath Pradhan. It hardly matters that a Congress government is in power in Himachal Pradesh and that Odisha is a BJP-ruled state. Similar incidents in different parts of the country over the years are proof that an overblown sense of entitlement in the power-drunk translates into a disrespect for others and the rules of the game, and that it cuts across party and regional lines. These two incidents in Himachal and Odisha, in particular, highlight a disturbing winner-takes-all attitude that stems from the belief that to be in power or to have the patronage of those in power is to be above the law. In a political culture that makes fear and favour its currency, this means that the ruler-subject model, which should have no place in a democracy, becomes routinised. Bureaucrats are partners in administration, not durbaris in the raja's court. Exemplary action must be taken. In Himachal Pradesh, amidst calls for the minister's resignation, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has assured that the due process of the law will unfold. In Odisha, three of the accused have been arrested, with the BJP suspending the primary membership of five party workers for their alleged involvement in the assault on the BMC officer. In all such incidents that threaten to erode public faith in the rule of law, those found guilty of abusing their position and power must face — and they must be seen to face — the consequences of their actions. Sending out the message that no one is above the law in a democracy is the only way forward.
