Bhubaneswar: Two special teams from Odisha Crime Branch (CB) arrived at Balianta police station, on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, on Sunday to take over investigation into the brutal mob lynching of Government Railway Police (GRP) constable Soumya Ranjan Swain.
This follows directives from Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi for a thorough and impartial probe into the incident that has sparked widespread outrage across the state.
“There are two separate cases filed in connection with the incident. The murder and the attempt to rape allegation by a young woman against the deceased. Both are serious allegations. We will collect the probe details from the IO of Balianta police station and seek a medical report on the death. Irons, wooden planks from the crime spot will be seized. We will be using all tools and techniques, including scientific aid and dog squad, to reach a plausible conclusion in the cases,” Odisha Crime Branch DIG B Gangadhar told reporters.
On allegations against the police, the DIG said that all present at the spot will be questioned. “A probe will be conducted to ascertain if it is a case of criminal negligence or administrative negligence. Proper legal and departmental action will be initiated if anyone is found guilty,” he said.
The DIG informed that Crime Branch DSP Ratnaprava Satpathy is the investigating officer and she has been assigned inspectors to probe the cases. “At present, two teams of eight members have been formed to visit the spot and police station for investigation,” he added.
Speaking to reporters at Balianta police station, Crime Branch SP Anirudha Routray stated that the investigation will be conducted based on evidence and truth. “We are not going to disclose anything on the procedure and the strategy,” he added.
Meanwhile, the number of arrests in the alleged mob-lynching case has risen to 11. Six more accused, identified as Pramod Jena, Bunty Jena, Sujit Rana, Abhishek Kar, Sadananda Khuntia and Bikram Keshari Das, were arrested on Saturday.
Family Calls Police Bias, Demand Polygraph Test On Woman
Even as the government assured exemplary action against those involved in the incident, family members and residents of Maujpur village demanded a polygraph test on the woman, who accused Soumya of attempting to rape her on a busy road in Balianta, an allegation that sparked his brutal mob lynching on Thursday.
The villagers insisted the accusations were fabricated and directly incited the fatal attack on Swain. Video footage, which has since gone viral, shows the 32-year-old being tied to a pole and beaten to death by some locals.
His father, Dhusasana Swain, a farmer, firmly rejected the claims by Soumya’s nephew Om Prakash Rout, that he might have collapsed on the woman due to a seizure, causing a misunderstanding. Dhusasana emphasised that his son had no history of epilepsy and was in good health. He also expressed his shock over the police’s lax response and the inhumane manner in which his son was shifted to the hospital after the brutal assault. “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,” Dusashan told mediapersons.
Om 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 Soumya, which continued for 40 minutes to 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 said.
Soumya’s uncle, Ajay Kumar Dash, accused the commissionerate police of bias and failing to protect his nephew. “We do not trust the current investigation. The police are painting my nephew in a bad light without a thorough inquiry. He was beaten to death in front of the police, yet they concluded he was at fault,” Dash said. He demanded accountability for senior officers, including the police commissioner, deputy commissioner of police, and the Balianta inspector-in-charge, for their alleged inaction during the mob violence.
Villagers echoed these sentiments, claiming that Balianta police heckled them when they approached the station on Thursday night. “The role of the police is suspicious from the beginning. They appear to be justifying mob violence,” Dash added.
Mob Justice in Odisha Village Leaves Locals Shamed and Fearful
Meanwhile, the residents have expressed deep regret and shame over the brutal incident of vigilante violence that claimed the life of a 32-year-old railway constable. The residential area, located about 15 km from Bhubaneswar near Hansapal-Bhingarpur road, gained notoriety after Thursday morning’s events when an enraged crowd of 30–40 locals beat him mercilessly in public view at a nearby paddy field, resulting in his death.
A local shopkeeper said: “Like kangaroo courts held in undeveloped rural areas, our villagers acted in haste and indulged in moral policing. Even if there was an allegation, the man should have been handed over to the police. Delivering mob justice has brought shame to our locality.”
Elderly residents expressed particular dismay over the impact on families “This sets a dangerous precedent,” they noted.
The Incident
