Senior BJP leader Bijay Mohapatra on Wednesday slammed the OAS Officers’ Association for shielding the controversial Marsaghai BDO Sushant Kumar Pati, who has now been transferred on the charge of keeping Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) in a Government vehicle parked near his residence in the district headquarters town of Kendrapada.
“The attempt by the OAS body to protect the BDO is ridiculous. The association should expel him from it instead of trying to shield him for his illegal act. I did not expect the association to support him so openly,” Mohapatra told reporters here.The BJP leader also expressed his dissatisfaction with the CEO for not taking action against the officer.
“The Joint CEO has admitted that the Marshaghai BDO had violated the poll code. The district Collector too had recommended action against the official. But no action was taken,” said Mohapatra, the BJP candidate for the Mahakalpada Assembly constituency.Meanwhile, the police on Wednesday arrested BJP’s Kendrapada district president Duryodhan Sahoo and two others in connection with the assault on the BDO in the district headquarters town on April 18.
Earlier on Tuesday, the police had rounded up 12 persons in the case. The total number of persons arrested in the case now stands at 15.The BDO was on Wednesday transferred to Narasinghapur block in Cuttack district. He will be replaced in Marsaghai by Narasinghapur BDO Bishnu Prasad Acharya.The pen-down strike by the OAS officers in Kendrapada district in protest against the attack on the Marshaghai BDO entered the third day on Wednesday.