Naveen Condemns Brutal Assault on BMC Additional Commissioner; Urges CM to Take Swift Action to Restore Faith in His Govt

Bhubaneswar: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) President and Leader of Opposition in the Odisha Legislative Assembly, Naveen Patnaik on Monday expressed profound shock and outrage over the brutal assault on Ratnakar Sahoo, Additional Commissioner of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC).

LoP Naveen urged Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to take immediate action to restore faith in his government.

The incident, which occurred in broad daylight at the BMC office in the heart of Odisha’s capital, has sparked widespread concern over the state’s law and order situation.

Naveen, reacting to a disturbing video circulating on social media, condemned the attack on Sahoo, a senior Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) officer of Additional Secretary rank.

The video allegedly shows Sahoo being dragged from his office, kicked, and assaulted in the presence of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) corporator, reportedly linked to a defeated BJP MLA candidate.

The assault took place while Sahoo was addressing public grievances, highlighting the audacity of the attack.

“I am utterly shocked seeing this video,” Naveen said in his statement posted on X.

“What is more appalling is that this happened in broad daylight, in the heart of the capital city Bhubaneswar to a senior officer while he was in his office, hearing grievances of people”, the BJD President said.

Naveen asked the Chief Minister to take “immediate and exemplary action” against both the perpetrators and the political leaders allegedly behind the attack.

He emphasized that those named in the officer’s First Information Report (FIR) had “behaved like criminals.”

The BJD supremo warned that the incident raises serious questions about the safety of public servants and ordinary citizens under the current government.

“If a senior officer is not safe in his own office, then what law and order will ordinary citizens expect from the Government”, he questioned.

Drawing parallels with a previous incident involving the assault on an officer by the son of a former Governor, Naveen urged the Chief Minister to ensure that this “heinous act” does not go unpunished.

“The people of Odisha will not forgive this,” he added.