Bhubaneswar: Tension gripped the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) office after a group of alleged political party workers assaulted the civic body’s Additional Commissioner Ratnakar Sahu during a public hearing on Monday. The incident has prompted heavy police deployment to prevent further unrest.
According to sources, in a disturbing turn of events at the BMC, its Additional Commissioner Sahu was allegedly assaulted physically during an ongoing public hearing session. The untoward incident occurred inside the official chamber in the BMC office, where a group of individuals — reportedly affiliated with a political party — forcefully entered and launched an attack.
Eyewitnesses say that some of the attackers grabbed Sahu by his shirt collar and dragged him out of the office in full view of the public and staff members.
The motive behind the assault remains unclear, but the audacious nature of the act has raised serious concerns about security protocols in government offices.
Following the incident, a significant contingent of police personnel was deployed at BMC premises to restore order and prevent any further disruption.
Senior officials have condemned the act and are likely to initiate a probe to identify and take action against those involved. This attack has sparked outrage among civic officials and is likely to stir political controversy in the coming days.
Hundreds of BMC employees staged a Dharna (sit-in) in front of the main entrance as a token of protest demanding safety in government offices and action against the wrongdoers.
“I was present at the grievance hearing session, and it was about to end when around five people entered the room. There were less number of grievances today. Initially, I thought that they perhaps had some grievances. Our corporator, Jiban Babu, was also present there. He asked me ‘Sir, did you tell anything to Jaga Bhai? Did you misbehave him?’ I replied to him ‘No, I did not misbehave with anyone,” Sahu narrated to mediapersons.
“All of a sudden, they (the five-six persons who had entered) started manhandling me and dragging me and did this (assaulted) to me. I cannot say anything (the reason behind the attack), as I do not recognise the person at all,” the Additional Commissioner stated.
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