Bhubaneswar, Jul 4: The Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) Officers' Association has called off its cease-work agitation following the arrest of BJP leader Jagannath Pradhan in connection with the assault on Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Additional Commissioner Ratnakar Sahoo.
Association president Jyoti Mishra announced that all OAS officers would resume duty immediately, stating that their primary demand action against those responsible for the attack had been met.
“The government assured us that it would take action, regardless of the person’s influence. Our demand was clear: arrest the culprits. Now that Jagannath Pradhan has been arrested, we convened a meeting with our district units and decided to return to work,” Mishra told reporters.
The officers had gone on mass leave after Sahoo was allegedly dragged out of his office and assaulted by a group of miscreants on Monday. Pradhan was accused of orchestrating the attack.
Despite repeated appeals from the state government, the protest continued into its third day on Thursday, severely affecting administrative functions and public service delivery across Odisha, particularly in the capital, Bhubaneswar.
With the arrest of the key accused, normalcy is expected to return to government offices starting today.
