Odisha: Senior BJP Leader Jagannath Pradhan Arrested After Surrender in OAS Officer Assault Case
In a dramatic turn on Thursday evening, Pradhan arrived at the DCP’s office and surrendered.
Bhubaneswar: Under mounting pressure from the opposition, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jagannath Pradhan — accused of masterminding a brutal assault on a top city bureaucrat — surrendered before the Odisha police late Thursday evening.
Following his surrender at the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Pradhan was formally arrested under multiple sections of law. He was subsequently produced before the court of the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM). His bail application was rejected, and he was remanded in judicial custody for 14 days.
The incident, which has sparked widespread outrage in Odisha’s political and administrative circles, involved the assault of Ratnakar Sahoo, Additional Commissioner of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), on June 30. A group of youths, allegedly linked to Pradhan, stormed into Sahoo’s office during an official grievance redressal session and attacked him, leaving the senior officer injured.
As public outcry intensified and pressure from opposition parties as well as the Odisha Administrative Service Association (OASA) grew, speculation mounted over Pradhan’s possible surrender. On Wednesday evening, he held a closed-door meeting with BJP state president Manmohan Samal at the party headquarters but left without submitting himself to the authorities, prolonging the suspense around his next move.
In a dramatic turn on Thursday evening, Pradhan arrived at the DCP’s office and surrendered. Confirming the development, Bhubaneswar DCP Jagmohan Meena said, “Based on prima facie evidence and the statements of five accused persons already arrested in connection with the case, Jagannath Pradhan was taken into custody after surrendering before the police.”
The assault case has not only embarrassed the BJP’s state leadership but also raised serious concerns about the safety of public officials performing their duties. Opposition parties have demanded stringent action against all those involved, irrespective of their political affiliations.
Pradhan had contested the 2024 assembly elections and lost to the BJD candidate Ananta Narayan Jena by only 37 votes.
Meanwhile, the OASA, which had launched a statewide ceasework, announced the withdrawal of its agitation with immediate effect.