Bhubaneswar: The assault on an on-duty Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) officer this afternoon drew widespread condemnation from leaders across political parties and officials’ association.

Additional Commissioner of BMC, Ratnakar Sahoo, was attacked by a group of youths during a grievance redressal meeting at the BMC office.

Leader of Opposition and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen Patnaik expressed shock over the incident in a post on X. He urged Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to take immediate and exemplary action against those involved in the assault. Patnaik also drew attention to a past incident, noting that no action had been taken when an officer was previously assaulted by the son of a former Governor.

Bhubaneswar MP and BJP leader Aparajita Sarangi also condemned the attack, stating the Bharatiya Janata Party does not support or endorse such acts. In her social media post, she demanded strict legal action against the culprits and called for disciplinary measures within the party against any members found involved.

The Indian National Congress described the incident as evidence of "jungle raj" under BJP rule. In a post on X, the party shared a video of the attack and alleged that BJP leader Aparupa Rout and his associates were responsible for the assault.

Reacting strongly, Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) Officers’ Association president Jyoti Ranjan Mishra demanded immediate arrest of all individuals involved, including those who incited the attack.

He urged the government to invoke appropriate sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including charges of attempted murder, physical assault, mental harassment, and obstruction of duty. Mishra further called for adequate protection for all government officials to prevent recurrence of such incidents.

Following a complaint lodged by the BMC Additional Commissioner, the Twin City Commissionerate Police arrested three individuals, including a BJP corporator. The arrested have been identified as Jeevan Rout, corporator of Ward No. 29, Rashmi Mohapatra, and Debasis Pradhan. The trio has been booked under Section of 333/132/121(1)/121(2) /109/351(2) /62/140(2)/304/54/61 (2)/189(2)/190/3(5) BNS.