BMC Officer Ratnakar Sahu assault case; Corporator among five granted bail
Published By : Bratati Baral
| July 15, 2025 2:53 PM
Khordha, July 15: The Khordha District and Sessions Court has granted bail to five individuals accused in the high-profile assault case involving Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Additional Commissioner Ratnakar Sahu. Those released on bail include 29th Ward Corporator Aparup Narayan Raut alias Jeevan, Rashmi Ranjan Mahapatra, Debashis Pradhan, Sachikanta Swain, and Sanjeeb Mishra.
Earlier, on July 9, BJP leader Jagannath Pradhan, also accused in the same case, was granted conditional bail by the court on a surety of ₹30,000.
The incident, which occurred on June 30 inside the BMC office, involved a brutal assault on the Additional Commissioner. Sahu was allegedly dragged out of the complaint cell, beaten and there was an attempt to abduct him. The attack sparked outrage, with strong allegations pointing to BJP leader Jagannath Pradhan as the main conspirator. The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) responded with statewide protests and demonstrations.
Following the incident, police arrested five accused including Corporator Jeevan Raut. Jagannath Pradhan was arrested days later and remanded to 14-day judicial custody before being granted bail.
Pradhan faces serious charges under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including: Section 333 – Voluntarily causing grievous hurt to deter a public servant from duty, Section 132– Assault or obstruction of a public servant, Section 121(1) & 121(2) – Causing harm to a government official, including with intent to cause death, Section 351(2) – Criminal intimidation, Sections 62 & 304 – Theft and robbery, Section 54 – Organized crime, Section 61(2) – Criminal conspiracy, Sections 189(2) & 190 – Unlawful assembly with criminal intent, Section 3(5) – Involvement of multiple individuals in a criminal act
The case has stirred political tensions in Odisha, with both BJP and BJD leaders trading accusations over the incident. Further investigations are ongoing.
