Bhubaneswar: Odisha Police on Sunday transferred Balianta police station in-charge and suspended four personnel amid allegations of inaction during the brutal mob lynching of Government Railway Police (GRP) constable Soumya Ranjan Swain on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar on May 7.
Bhubaneswar DCP Jagmohan Meena informed that IIC Anil Kumar Parida has been attached to the Urban Police District (UPD) headquarters in Bhubaneswar. Inspector Rashmita Behera has been assigned the responsibility of Balianta police station as the new officer-in-charge.
Additionally, four police personnel — a sub-inspector (SI), an assistant sub-inspector (ASI), one Odisha Auxiliary Police Force (OAPF) personnel, and a PCR vehicle constable — have been placed under suspension. Notices have also been issued to two home guards, who have been removed from duty as part of the departmental action.
This came even as the Odisha Crime Branch took over the case from Balianta police earlier in the day and visited the crime scene. The PCR constable, who was allegedly present when the enraged mob mercilessly thrashed the 32-year-old, told the media that they were unable to control the mob. “There were around 50-60 people. There were two of us and we made every effort to save the victim. I also informed the IIC for additional force,” he said.
On why the victim was carried in a pick-up van, the constable said that Soumya was in a critical state and people there advised them to load him onto the van.
Soumya’s family had earlier accused the commissionerate police of bias and failing to protect him. “Police personnel were watching when my son was being assaulted. After rescuing him, the police shifted him in a pick-up van like animals are transported and that act was completely inhumane,” his father, Dusashan Swain, told mediapersons.
Soumya’s nephew Om Prakash Rout who was riding the motorcycle when the accident took place leading to the brutal assault, had also claimed that a PCR van, comprising just three police personnel, arrived and started noting their details even as the violent mob continued to assault the GPR constable, which continued for 40-45 minutes. A sub-inspector of police, who arrived in plainclothes, directed that Soumya be tied and lifted using bamboo. Subsequently, the constable was put in a pick-up van and shifted to Balakati Community Health Centre. He was subsequently moved to Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar, where doctors declared him dead.
Upon his return from Kolkata on Saturday, Chief Minister Mohan Majhi summoned senior police officers and expressed displeasure over the police’s allegedly delayed and inadequate response to the violence. He particularly criticised the manner in which the injured constable was shifted from the spot to the hospital and directed that accountability be fixed on the responsible police personnel, according to sources.
After a comprehensive discussion on the matter, the CM directed the Crime Branch to carry out a proper, thorough probe and take strictest possible action against those involved in mob violence and ensure stringent punishment for all perpetrators connected to the Balianta incident. He also instructed the DGP to remain vigilant and take all necessary proactive measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.
