Bhubaneswar: In an unprecedented incident that has sent shockwaves across the state’s administrative and political circles, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Additional Commissioner Ratnakar Sahu was brutally assaulted inside the civic body’s office premises on Monday afternoon.
The assault took place during a public hearing session, held between 12.30 pm and 1 pm, when a group of individuals stormed into Sahu’s official chamber, forcibly dragged him outside, and physically attacked him in front of stunned onlookers.
Disturbing video footage of the attack, which surfaced soon after the incident, captured the assailants manhandling, slapping, and kicking the senior bureaucrat within the BMC premises. The visuals also show another corporator and the personal security officer (PSO) of Bhubaneswar Mayor Sulochana Das desperately attempting to shield Sahu from the violent mob.
According to opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leaders, the attackers were allegedly supporters of local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jagannath Pradhan. The city police arrested three individuals later in the evening after BJD corporators staged a road blockade in protest, disrupting vehicular movement at the busy Vani Vihar and Master Canteen squares in the heart of the capital city.
In a sharp reaction, Bhubaneswar Mayor Sulochana Das alleged that the attackers even attempted to abduct the official after assaulting him. “It’s not just an assault but a sinister attempt to terrorise the civic administration,” she said.
The incident prompted immediate deployment of additional police forces at the BMC office to restore order and ensure security for the staff.
Strongly condemning the attack, BJD senior vice-president Sanjay Das Burma remarked, “The state has plunged into utter lawlessness under the BJP regime. When a senior officer is assaulted inside his chamber, it clearly signals that ordinary citizens are not safe anywhere.”
The shocking incident has triggered political uproar and raised serious concerns about the state of law and order in Odisha’s capital.
