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Chargesheet filed against 11 in Odisha's GRP constable lynching case
A police officer named Soumya Ranjan Swain was hurt very badly by a large group of angry people in Balianta, near the city of Bhubaneswar in India, and later died from his injuries.
The crowd got angry after a woman said the officer hit her and tried to hurt her in a bad way.
A special police team called the Crime Branch studied the case for about three months.
Then the team gave a big written report, called a chargesheet, to a court.
The report says 11 people are accused of being part of the attack.
Twenty people were arrested, but police said there was not enough proof against the other nine.
The report says the crowd tied the officer to a pole and beat him, and doctors found 21 injuries on his body.
The officer's family did not believe the woman's story and asked for a test to check if she was telling the truth.
Some police officers were suspended for not stopping the angry crowd, and investigators are still looking for other people who may have been involved.
Odisha's CID-Crime Branch filed a 767-page chargesheet against 11 people before the SDJM court in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday in the May 7 mob lynching of GRP constable Soumya Ranjan Swain.
Twenty people were arrested in the case, but only 11 were chargesheeted because evidence against the remaining nine was found insufficient.
The accused were charged under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, including sections on murder (103(1)), rioting (191(2), 191(3)), unlawful assembly (189(4), 190) and wrongful confinement (127(2)).
The mob allegedly tied Swain to a pole and beat him after a woman accused him of assaulting her and attempting rape following a motorcycle-scooter collision; the postmortem found 21 external injuries.
The investigation remains open under Section 193(9) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, with police tracing other suspects and possible supplementary chargesheets.
- Who
- Odisha's CID-Crime Branch, with investigating officer Ratnaprava Satapathy (deputy SP rank), filed the chargesheet; the victim was Government Railway Police constable Soumya Ranjan Swain, and Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi ordered the CID takeover of the probe.
- What
- A 767-page chargesheet was filed against 11 people for the mob lynching of the GRP constable; 20 people were arrested but evidence against nine was found insufficient.
- Where
- Balianta (in the Bhingarpur-Kaja area under Balianta police station limits), on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, Odisha; the chargesheet was submitted to the SDJM court, Bhubaneswar.
- When
- The lynching took place on May 7; the chargesheet was filed on Wednesday, August 5, nearly three months later.
- Why
- Swain was attacked by an enraged mob after a woman accused him of assaulting her and attempting rape following a motorcycle-scooter collision; the case was handed to the CID due to its sensitivity.
Complainant's account and condemnation of the lynching
Victim's family's doubts and the provocation context
Sexual assault allegation
Complainant's account and condemnation of the lynching
A woman accused GRP constable Soumya Ranjan Swain of assaulting her and attempting to rape her after a motorcycle-scooter collision, a claim being investigated by the CID-Crime Branch as a separate case.
Victim's family's doubts and the provocation context
Swain's family disputed the allegation and demanded a 'polygraph' test of the complainant to verify whether she was telling the truth.
Characterization of the crowd's violence
Complainant's account and condemnation of the lynching
The incident is described as a brutal mob lynching - Swain was tied to a pole and beaten, suffering 21 external injuries - that sparked widespread outrage across the state.
Victim's family's doubts and the provocation context
The crowd's attack is framed as a reaction to Swain's alleged assault and attempted rape of a woman, which is said to have enraged the mob gathered at the scene.
Key facts
- Victim
- GRP constable Soumya Ranjan Swain, 32
- Chargesheeted
- 11 of 20 arrested persons
- Chargesheet size
- 767 pages
- Court
- Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) court, Bhubaneswar
- Legal provisions
- Sections 103(1), 191(2), 191(3), 189(4), 190 and 127(2) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023
- Incident date and place
- May 7, Balianta, outskirts of Bhubaneswar, Odisha
- Postmortem findings
- 21 external injuries; severe head trauma causing blood clotting and brain swelling; blood clots in lungs
- Police action
- Four Balianta police station personnel suspended and two home guards disengaged
Quotes
Crime Branch officer
Officer from Odisha Police Crime Branch
“Accordingly, the evidence collected during the investigation is presently insufficient to constitute a prima facie case warranting their prosecution.”
theprint.in
“It has been based on substantial oral, documentary, scientific, and other corroborative evidence collected during the course of the investigation.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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