Ex-sarpanch arrested for assaulting BDO

Bhubaneswar: Suresh Chandra Barik, the suspended sarpanch of Galua panchayat in Khurda district, was arrested today from Bolangir on charges of assaulting Banpur block development officer (BDO) Syed Arif Hussain last month.

The officer was assaulted by Barik on June 29, following which a delegation of the Odisha Administrative Service Officers Association (OASOA) had met chief secretary G.C. Pati and submitted a memorandum demanding immediate action against the sarpanch.

They too had warned that all members of the association would wear black badges if the State government fails to take action against the accused in the next 72 hours.

Acting swiftly, the government suspended Barik on July 6 on charges of assaulting the BDO. The Panchayati Raj department had also served a show-cause notice on him to reply within 15 days.