Bhubaneswar: Odisha Police on Sunday initiated stringent disciplinary action in connection with the brutal mob lynching of GRP constable Soumya Ranjan Swain in Balianta, transferring the Inspector-in-Charge (IIC) of Balianta Police Station and suspending four police personnel for alleged negligence in duty.

Police crackdown intensifies after GRP Constable’s lynching

Bhubaneswar DCP informed that Balianta Police Station IIC Anil Kumar Parida has been attached to the Urban Police District (UPD) headquarters in Bhubaneswar. Inspector Rashmita Behera has been appointed as the new IIC of Balianta Police Station in his place.

Apart from the transfer, four police personnel — including one Sub-Inspector (SI), one Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI), one Odisha Auxiliary Police Force (OAPF) personnel, and one constable — have been placed under suspension.

Authorities have also served notices to two home guards, initiating steps to discontinue their services from the Home Guard department.

Also Read: Bhubaneswar: Crime Branch teams reach Balianta PS to probe mob lynching case

The action comes amid mounting scrutiny over police handling of the May 7 incident near Ramachandrapur under Balianta police limits, where 32-year-old GRP constable Soumya Ranjan Swain was allegedly beaten to death by a mob.

Meanwhile, the number of arrests in the case has risen to 11 after Commissionerate Police apprehended six more accused on Saturday. Earlier, five persons had already been arrested in connection with the mob attack.

According to police, the violence erupted after Swain and his associate, Om Prakash Rout, were accused of assaulting two women travelling on a scooter. The women alleged that the two motorcycle-borne men passed objectionable remarks and later rammed their scooter, causing them to fall.

One of the survivors alleged that after the fall, she was physically assaulted, strangled, hit on the head, and that her clothes were torn. She further claimed the accused repeatedly attempted to drag her.

Following the incident, locals reportedly gathered at the spot and attacked Swain and Rout. Videos that later surfaced on social media showed Swain tied to an iron bar and brutally assaulted by a group of people.

Swain was initially taken to Balakati Community Health Centre and later shifted to Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar, where doctors declared him dead. Rout was rescued by police and remains in custody.

Based on the complaint lodged by the two women, police have registered a case of attempt to rape under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). A separate murder case has also been registered in connection with the mob lynching.