Sundargarh: All Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) officers in Sundargarh district have launched an indefinite pen-down strike, strongly protesting the alleged assault on a senior Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) official. 

The strike was initiated following a call by the Sundargarh District OAS Association. A delegation of officers, led by Sundargarh Additional Collector Abhimanyu Majhi—who also heads the district’s OAS Association—submitted a memorandum to the Sundargarh Collector, demanding strict action against those involved in the brutal attack on BMC Additional Commissioner Ratnakar Sahoo.

Meanwhile, the pen-down protest has also disrupted operations at the BMC office in Bhubaneswar. Officials donning black badges in solidarity, met the BMC Commissioner Rajesh Prabhakar Patil to demand enhanced security measures.

Commissioner Patil assured the protesting staff that firm action would be taken against all the accused. "The incident is unfortunate and deeply concerning. The matter is being thoroughly investigated, and enhanced security measures have already been implemented at the BMC office to prevent such incidents in the future," he said.

The incident occurred on Monday during a public grievance redressal meeting when BMC Additional Commissioner Ratnakar Sahoo was allegedly attacked by a group of individuals within the BMC premises. Following the incident, a road blockade erupted in Bhubaneswar. Police have since arrested three persons based on a complaint filed by the victim.

The assault has sparked widespread outrage across political lines. Reacting to the incident, BMC Mayor Sulochana Das criticized the state government’s response, stating, "The law and order situation in Odisha has collapsed. Arresting just three individuals is not enough. All perpetrators must be brought to justice, and the mastermind behind the attack should be identified. This kind of 'Talibani' behavior has no place in our state."