BJP leader Jagannath Pradhan arrested after Odisha official’s assault, pushback by bureaucrats

“He surrendered before the police, following which he was told about the offence and the prima facie evidence against him in the case. We arrested him and sent him to the court,” said Bhubaneswar DCP Jagmohan Meena.

Earlier, five persons had been arrested in the assault case; they have been charged under various sections of the BNS, including 109 (attempt to murder).

On Monday, a group of individuals had assaulted BMC additional commissioner Ratnakar Sahoo. They dragged him from his office chamber, slapped and punched him, and asked him to apologise to Pradhan.

Though Pradhan condemned the incident, he later alleged that the BMC officer had misbehaved with a woman sanitation worker for joining rallies conducted by the Chief Minister and Prime Minister. Pradhan had also alleged that the officer misbehaved with him when he inquired about the incident.

The OAS Association and other employees’ associations had been on mass leave for the past three days, paralysing administrative work in government offices across the state.

On Wednesday, the OAS Association submitted a memorandum to the state government, demanding Pradhan’s arrest and calling him the “prime accused and kingpin” behind the attack.

Pradhan’s supporters, meanwhile, staged a dharna outside the DCP’s office following his arrest.

Pradhan, 56, a known face in the Bhubaneswar BJP circle, has been unsuccessfully contesting on a BJP ticket since 2014 from the Bhubaneswar-Central assembly constituency. Pradhan, who is mentioned as a businessman in his election manifesto, lost the 2024 assembly election by 37 votes.