Three arrested for dragging officer out of his office, video goes viral

BHUBANESHWAR: A senior officer was assaulted and dragged him out from his office. A senior officer of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) office was attacked by a mob Monday morning.

BMC Additional Commissioner Ratnakar Sahoo was assaulted during a grievance hearing. The mob barged into his chamber and attacked him for misbehaving with BJP leader Jagannath Pradhan.

The mob was seen dragging him out of his office, repeatedly hitting and kicking him in the face. The video of this had gone viral on social media. They also tried to forcibly take him to their vehicle. Three have been arrested in the incident. Jeevan Raut, Rashmi Mahapatra and Debashish Pradhan have been arrested.

I strongly condemn the shocking and shameful attack on Shri Ratnakar Sahoo, Additional Commissioner of BMC, who was brutally assaulted in broad daylight inside his own office in Bhubaneswar.

If a senior officer is not safe in the capital, how can ordinary citizens feel secure?… pic.twitter.com/yNafKzaQmB

— Sofia Firdous (@sofiafirdous1) June 30, 2025

Following the attack, opposition parties and BMC employees blocked roads and staged protests. The Odisha Administration Service Association took mass leave from today. The ruling BJP also criticized the attack against Sahu.

‘The attack is shocking and shameful, said Sofia Firdous, Congress MLA from Barabati-Cuttack, on social media. "If a senior officer is not safe, how can ordinary citizens be safe? This is an attack on the entire governance and the rule of law,’ she wrote on her X handle.