Odisha bureaucrat assaulted in office; Naveen Patnaik demands action

Punches, kicks, slaps, and abuses were all rained on the Additional Commissioner of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), Ratnakar Sahoo, who was assaulted by a group of young men inside the civic body office while conducting a public grievance redressal meeting on Monday.

A video of the incident has surfaced and gone viral online. It shows Sahoo being manhandled by a bunch of young men, who can be heard abusing him while assaulting him inside the BMC office premises. The officer was also grabbed by the collar of his shirt and dragged outside the building by unknown men.

As per preliminary reports, six young men stormed into Sahoo’s chamber and launched an unprovoked attack, leaving staff and visitors stunned. The exact motive behind the assault is still unclear, and the identities of the attackers remain unknown.

Speaking to the media after the incident, Sahoo said, \"The attackers are strangers to me. I will report this to the higher authorities, and an FIR will be lodged soon\".

Condemning the attack, BMC employees staged a spontaneous sit-in protest within the office premises and halted work for the remainder of the day, demanding the culprits be arrested and put behind bars as soon as possible.

The protesting staff also demanded enhanced security arrangements for civic personnel.

Senior officials of the BMC and Commissionerate Police reached the spot soon after the incident and assured a thorough investigation into the matter.

NAVEEN PATNAIK EXPRESSES SHOCK

Taking note of the incident, former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed shock at the bureaucrat's assault and demanded action by the incumbent Mohan Charan Manjhi, saying the law and order situation in the state was in shambles.

Patnaik concluded by saying that the Chief Minister has to set an example by ensuring strict punishment for the perpetrators or the \"people of Odisha will not forgive this\".