Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], July 4 : Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Mayor Sulochana Das on Friday stated that workers on protest would resume work tomorrow, further stating that new CCTV cameras would be installed and internal security would be strengthened. The BMC staff has been on a protest against the assault of BMC Additional Commissioner Ratnakar Sahoo.
"The workers had gone on strike, but they will work normally from tomorrow...CP has assured us of proper security. We will also have our internal security in place...New CCTVs are being installed...internal security is being strengthened," Das told ANI.
She further thanked the Odisha Police for arresting the culprit.
"I would like to thank the people of Odisha for their support to Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC)...I am grateful to Odisha Police, especially the Commissionerate Police, that despite immense pressure they arrested the culprit. People are feeling unsafe today, but that should not happen. People should feel safe and their trust in the Constitution should remain intact...Police are doing their work, and we believe they will arrest all those who are involved. They will set an example for everyone so that nobody would dare to enter a public office and assault someone," she further added.
Earlier, Odisha Congress-in-charge Ajay Kumar Lallu criticised the assault and stated that Odisha was turning into "Jungle Raj."
He blamed the BJP, which is also the ruling party in Odisha, for the protest by the IAS fraternity, which has brought everything to a standstill.
He said, "Officers are not safe in Odisha. A municipal officer was dragged, kicked, and hit with shoes. It is clear who is responsible for this. All the IAS officers are protesting, and everything is at a standstill. In the state, where a conflict exists between the party and the government, where public interest and sentiments are not respected, such a place has turned into Jungle Raj."
Earlier, BJP leader Jagannath Pradhan surrendered at the DCP office in Bhubaneswar and was subsequently arrested by the police.
The Bharatiya Janata Party's Odisha unit has suspended five of its members over their alleged involvement in the violence at the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) office, where Additional Commissioner Ratnakar Sahoo was assaulted on Monday.
Odisha BJP's media cell said that the party's state unit chief Manmohan Samal has suspended five leaders - Corporator Aparup Narayan Raut, Rashmi Ranjan Mohapatra, Debashish Pradhan, Sachikanth Swain and Sanjeev Mishra, from the primary membership of the BJP based on allegations related to the violence at the BMC office.
Apart from this, BMC has strongly condemned the assault on its Additional Commissioner Ratnakar Sahoo by a group of individuals.