Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Crime Branch on Thursday apprehended another key accused in the May 7 Balianta mob lynching case, taking the total number of arrests to 17.
According to Crime Branch DIG B Gangadhar, Ashok Jena alias Geda (45), a resident of Gangeswargada under Cuttack Sadar police station limits, was arrested from a hotel in Patia, Bhubaneswar, last night. “Clear technical evidence against him, corroborated by eyewitness accounts, established his involvement. The viral video clearly shows him assaulting the victim on the head and face with a stick. He had been evading arrest, and raids were earlier conducted at his residence,” he told reporters.
Incidentally, the postmortem reports indicated death due to internal haemorrhage.
The senior officer added that 10 more suspects have been identified and teams are working to track them down. The woman, who lodged the complaint of misconduct, may undergo a polygraph test if required. “Their role is still under investigation. However, so far, we have found no evidence of any prior planning or conspiracy,” he said.
The DIG clarified that charges of mob lynching have not yet been included in the case but may be added later depending on the findings of the investigation. “It is a mob violence. We are taking the incident seriously. If mob lynching charges will be added if found applicable,” he added.
Sources further stated that Geda allegedly incited the crowd and continued hurling abuses while assaulting Government Railway Police (GRP) constable Soumya Ranjan Swain, even as bystanders tried to restrain him.
This comes days after Crime Branch indicated involved of mischief-makers from other areas of the capital city in the mob lynching of railway constable following the arrest of Binod Kumar Behera (48), a resident of Satya Nagar area in the city, from a country liquor manufacturing unit in Indupur area of Kendrapada district on Monday.
The Case
The case dates back to May 7, when Swain, 32, and his associate Om Prakash Rout were traveling on a motorcycle in the Bhingarpur-Kaja area under Balianta police station limits on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar. Allegations surfaced that their vehicle hit a scooter carrying two women, after which Swain reportedly assaulted the women and attempted to rape one of them. This sparked immediate outrage among locals and passersby, who gathered at the spot and thrashed the duo.
Swain was allegedly tied to a pole and severely beaten by the mob, leading to his death. His associate sustained injuries. Videos of the brutal assault circulated widely on social media, triggering shock and widespread condemnation across Odisha.
Police had registered two separate cases related to the incident: one for the murder of Swain and another concerning the alleged attempt to rape the woman. The Crime Branch took over the investigation following initial arrests by local police, with multiple teams conducting raids and analysing CCTV footage and other evidence.
So far, the agency has received more than 10 videos of the incident which were recorded by some locals on the spot.
