Latest news with #OASAssociation
Hans India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
BJP leader gets bail in officer assault case
Bhubaneswar: The BJP leader, Jagannath Pradhan, who was arrested in a case involving the physical assault on a senior Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) officer in Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) office, was released from jail after getting bail from a local court here on Wednesday. Pradhan was released from Jharpada jail here on Wednesday evening. The BJP leader was welcomed by his supporters when he walked out of the jail. The BJP leader and Bhubaneswar (Ekamra) MLA Babu Singh also welcomed him. Then, his supporters took Pradhan to his office in a procession by bursting firecrackers and beating drums. Speaking to mediapersons, Pradhan condemned the incident (assault on OAS officer) and claimed that he was neither directly nor indirectly involved in the assault on the officer, which was 'proved today by the court.' The OAS Association became the victim of a conspiracy of Opposition BJD, which led to his arrest, he claimed. 'The OAS Association should introspect how they fell into the conspiracy. It is the duty of every officer to ensure smooth functioning of the Mohan Majhi government in the State,' he said. Earlier in the day, the District and Sessions Court, Khurda, granted bail to Pradhan on a security of Rs 30,000. The court had asked the government counsel to produce the telephonic conversation between Pradhan and Ratnakar Sahoo, the victim OAS officer. The court granted bail to Pradhan after the government counsel 'failed' to produce evidence of a conversation in the court, said advocate Suresh Kumar Sahoo. The BMC Additional Commissioner, Ratnakar Sahoo, was brutally attacked, dragged on the floor of the office, kicked in the face and humiliated by a group of people, allegedly supporters of Pradhan. The viral video of the officer's assault created a Statewide outrage forcing OAS officers to go on strike demanding the arrest of all the accused persons, including Pradhan, who is accused of masterminding the attack on Sahoo. On Thursday night, Pradhan surrendered before the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Bhubaneswar, and was arrested and sent to jail. He was produced before the SDJM (Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate's) Court in Bhubaneswar which rejected his bail petition and sent him to 14-day judicial custody. Pradhan was booked under various sections of BNS which deals with offences like assault on public servants, obstructing government work and causing grievous injury. The BJP leader surrendered before the police as the members of the OAS Association went on a cease-work agitation across the State. Earlier, police had arrested five persons in connection with the case. While Pradhan was granted bail on Wednesday, the hearing of the bail petition of the other five accused is scheduled to be held on July 15, the advocate said.
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.
Hans India
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Odisha govt appeals to officers to resume duty
Bhubaneswar: With official work across Odisha paralysed for two days because of a 'cease work' by Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) and Odisha Revenue Service (ORS) officers, the State government on Wednesday appealed to the agitating officers to resume duty. The State government officials launched the protest on Tuesday, a day after Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Additional Commissioner Ratnakar Sahoo was allegedly dragged out of his office and assaulted by a group of miscreants. According to police, five persons have been arrested so far in connection with the incident. To resolve the ongoing deadlock, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi convened a high-level meeting with senior officials. After the meeting, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari urged the officers to end their agitation and assured that such an incident would not happen again. 'The incident has shocked everyone…no one is supporting it, and it is highly condemnable. So far, five persons have been arrested while other accused will be arrested and forwarded to court,' Pujari told reporters. The minister said the OAS Association has already held meetings with the Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary. 'If they (officers) want, we are ready for further discussions. This is not the proper time to go on 'cease work'. I appeal to them to resume their duties. We can hold discussions on their demands,' he said. Pujari also pointed to the ongoing flood situation in parts of northern Odisha and the Rath Yatra festival as reasons why the agitation is untimely. On OAS Association's demand for arrest of BJP leader Jagannath Pradhan for his alleged involvement in the attack, Pujari said, 'Police are investigating the incident from all angles. Once they complete the investigation, it can be ascertained who was behind the assault. It will not be right to arrest someone without an investigation. So, let's allow the law to take its course.' The OAS Association had given a call for a 'mass leave' from Tuesday over the incident. They later postponed it after getting an assurance from Majhi. However, despite the Association's decision to defer the agitation, OAS and ORS officers in a majority of the districts, including Cuttack, Ganjam, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Sambalpur, Bolangir, Sonepur, Rayagada, Dhenkanal and Mayurbhanj went ahead with the agitation. Due to the absence of sufficient field-level and district officers, government and public service works have almost come to a standstill, an officer said. The officers also demanded adequate security for all field-level executive officers to discharge their duties, and public condemnation of the incident by the government. Meanwhile, a meeting was held at the BMC office to review the security arrangements so that such an incident does not recur in future. 'The security agency engaged by the BMC has been asked to depose before the authority. If needed, we will deploy armed security personnel to guard the office,' BMC Mayor Sulochana Das said. The CCTV cameras in the BMC office, which were dysfunctional, will be made operational soon, she said. Police have so far arrested five persons, including BJP corporator Jeevan Rout, in connection with the assault. Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissioner S Dev Datta Singh said, 'Soon after the incident, we took action and arrested five persons. Strong action would be taken against all involved in the incident.'
