Bhubaneswar: BJP workers on Saturday barged into the residence of chief minister Naveen Patnaik's private secretary V. Karthikeyan Pandian and smashed glass panes and flower pots, apart from damaging parked vehicles.

A group of around 40 BJP workers also smeared the main gate of the house and boundary wall with cow dung and beat up the security guard. While Pandian, who is being targeted by the BJD for some time, was not present at the time of the incident, other members of the family locked themselves in. Police arrived in time to prevent the mob from entering the house.

Four BJP activists were arrested and sent to jail.

Security guard Dushmant Kumar Das said the "vandals" were raising slogans in favour of BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan and BJD's dissident Kendrapara MP Baijayant Panda.

Condemning the attack, Naveen said: "I think it's absolutely shocking, particularly some members of a national party are involved in it."

Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra of the Congress said: "What happened in the house of a bureaucrat was organised crime. It is expected of a party which is influenced by the ideology of Gandhi's killers."

BJD spokesperson Pratap Deb said: "They are sacred of the outcome in Bijepur", referring to a coming bypoll.

Panda, the rebel BJD MP, has criticised Pandian on several occasions directly and indirectly.

Panda took to Twitter to question why no one was arrested when eggs were hurled at him a few days ago. "I disagree with barging into any1's home to protest. But Pandian arranged for some ppl to throw stones, bricks & eggs at me & protectd them (no arrests for 4 months until assembly qstn). Thr are serious allegations of corruption & patronage of crooks & goons, which he must answr!" Panda tweeted.

To this, BJD leader Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak responded: "This is in poor taste. We had not expected this from Panda."