A railway constable was lynched by a mob in broad daylight on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar on Thursday after he allegedly attempted to rape a woman. The incident, which occurred in the Balianta area, has sparked outrage after a video of the lynching went viral.
Victim and Arrests
The deceased was identified as Soumya Ranjan Swain, 32, a Government Railway Police (GRP) employee who also worked as a part-time gym trainer. Late on Thursday night, police arrested four individuals for their involvement in the assault.
Sequence of Events
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police Jagmohan Meena, around 10:30 am, Swain was riding a two-wheeler with his friend Om Prakash Rout, 20, when they encountered two women on a scooter. Swain allegedly passed lewd remarks and rammed his bike into the scooter, causing the women to fall. He then attempted to rape one of them, as per the woman's complaint. When the women raised an alarm, passers-by intervened. Swain heckled them, leading more locals to gather and attack him.
The DCP stated that Swain was behaving abnormally and aggressively. When a police van arrived after receiving a call, Swain resisted rescue efforts and even bit a police personnel. He was rushed to Capital Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. His friend Rout was not attacked.
Legal Action
Two cases have been registered: one based on the woman's sexual assault complaint against Swain, and another regarding the murder. Police are identifying attackers through viral video clips, and four persons have been arrested.
Criticism of Police
The victim's mother blamed the police for failing to rescue her son, alleging that they stood as mute spectators. However, DCP Meena defended the police action, stating that Swain was already in serious condition before the police van arrived, and that personnel controlled the mob, deserving appreciation. Police sources said the control room received a call at 11:02 am and reached the spot by 11:10 am.
Government Response
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi directed Director General of Police Y B Khurania to take stringent action against those responsible. The CM instructed the police to remain vigilant to prevent such incidents.
Sources revealed that a complaint had been lodged against Swain in 2021 at Cuttack's Mahila police station for alleged sexual assault of a woman on the pretext of marriage.
