Assault on BMC official: Mass leave by OAS, ORS officers hits essential govt services across Odisha

The administrative functioning across Odisha has come to a grinding halt as the Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) and Odisha Revenue Service (ORS) officers continue their statewide protest, following the recent assault on Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Additional Commissioner Ratnakar Sahoo inside his office.

Condemning the incident, officers have gone on mass leave, disrupting essential government services in multiple districts including Nabarangpur, Rourkela, Ganjam, Gajapati, and Kalahandi. 

Meanwhile, the impact is being acutely felt by the public, with citizens returning from government offices without receiving basic services such as caste certificates, land verifications, and pension clearances.

While the OAS Association has clarified that officers involved in emergency duties will continue working, the ground reality tells a different story. The ongoing absence of key administrative officials has left offices either non-functional or heavily understaffed, adding to the woes of flood-hit and rain-affected districts.

The protest has entered a critical stage, as government functioning across the state continues to suffer. Long queues outside tehsils and block offices have become a daily sight, only for people to return empty-handed.

This incident follows mounting tension within the administrative services after Ratnakar Sahoo was physically assaulted, allegedly during an altercation at the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) office. The protestors are demanding strict legal action against those involved, along with a stronger security framework for officers on duty.

With no immediate resolution in sight, the stalemate between the protesting officers and the government has escalated into a statewide administrative paralysis, raising concerns over governance and delivery of public services.