‘I am demoralised’: Young IAS officer says BJP MLA threatened him during Odisha flood duty

A young IAS officer from Odisha has accused a BJP MLA of threatening and misbehaving with him while on flood management duty. Samir Kumar Jena, a 2022-batch officer, lodged a police complaint against Saroj Padhi, alleging that the legislator shouted at him and threatened to kill him over relief material distribution. Jena, currently posted as chief development officer-cum-executive officer, zilla parishad, Ganjam, stated that Padhi entered his chamber and berated him despite Jena's attempts to resolve the matter with the Minister Bibhuti Jena.

The incident was captured on CCTV, and Jena expressed feeling demoralized and deeply shocked. The Ganjam Superintendent of Police confirmed the complaint and said appropriate action would be taken. Padhi, however, claimed the matter had been resolved, attributing the misunderstanding to the pressures of flood duty. He stated that all parties had discussed the issue and resolved it. Notably, Asika Municipality EO Rajesh Kumar Mohapatra was also present during the incident.