BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday assured employees associations that stringent action will be taken against those involved in vandalism at the official residence of his Private Secretary and IAS officer V Karthikeyan Pandian.
The Chief Minister gave the assurance after different employees organisations, including IAS, IPS and OAS Officers’ Associations’, met him in his Secretariat chamber and demanded strong action against those who indulged in hooliganism at the official residence of the IAS officer.
Expressing solidarity with the IAS officer, the employees associations maintained that such an attack on the private space of officers and their family tantamounts to criminal trespass, intimidation of the officers and is a threat to the life and security of the officers and family. Stating that such an incident is not acceptable, the organisations were of the unanimous opinion that perpetrators of such crimes must be punished with the most stringent punishment under law. “Associations from all over the State have given me petitions regarding the unfortunate incident. Appropriate action will be taken,” Naveen told mediapersons.
Other employees organisations which met the Chief Minister to express solidarity with the IAS officer include Odisha Finance Service, Odisha Information Service, Odisha Police Service, Odisha Revenue Service, Odisha Ministerial Officers Association, Odisha Medical Service Association and Odisha Government Employees Federation. Employees gathered on the Secretariat lawn during the lunch recess and condemned the incident.
The associations urged the Chief Minister to take steps to avoid reoccurrences of such incident in future. BJP activists had barged into the official residence of Pandian and damaged flower pots and vehicles parked inside the quarters on Saturday last. The miscreants also hurled cow dungs and stones at his residence. Police has arrested four persons in this connection.