BHUBANESWAR: Day after Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed severe displeasure over the police lapses which led to the mob lynching of GRP constable Soumya Ranjan Swain at Balianta and handed over the case to Crime Branch (CB), the Commissionerate Police on Sunday suspended four personnel and transferred Balianta police station inspector-in-charge (IIC) Anil Kumar Parida to the CP headquarters.
Rashmita Behera was posted as the new IIC in his place. Three police station vehicle staff including a sub-inspector (SI), assistant sub-inspector (ASI) and an Odisha Auxiliary Police Force (OAPF) personnel along with one constable of PCR van-42, which had first reached the spot where Swain was being held and beaten up by the mob, were suspended.
One home guard attached to the police station was removed from service while another who was with the PCR van has been served a notice for dismissal.
“The PCR van personnel were the first to reach the spot and later officers went there in a police station vehicle. They were not able to control the crowd and rescue the victim for which disciplinary action has been initiated against them,” said police commissioner S Dev Datta Singh.
He also informed that they have received the postmortem and forensic reports of the deceased but did not disclose any details citing Crime Branch was now investigating the case.
The CB, meanwhile, started its probe into the brutal killing as well as the alleged molestation of two young women by Swain. A team led by DSP Ratnaprava Satpathy visited the spot near Ramachandrapur area in Balianta on the day to start the investigation into the lynching incident. The probe is being carried out under the direct supervision of CB SP Anirudha Routray.
The officers also visited Balianta police station and questioned the PCR van personnel, including a constable, who had first arrived at the spot but failed to rescue Swain. “We have taken over the investigation of the two cases. The entire probe will be carried out on the basis of evidence,” Routray told the mediapersons. The CB assured that all efforts will be made to catch all those involved in the incident and stringent action will be initiated against them.
Sources said more than 60 people were part of the mob which had launched a brutal assault on Swain. “We will examine the local community leaders to identify the participants of the mob. Not everybody present at the crime scene was perpetrator, many of them were eyewitnesses too,” CB DIG, Battula Gangadhar said.
Many eyewitnesses are coming forward to record their statements. A detailed investigation will be carried out to get to the bottom of the matter and efforts will be made to arrest all the perpetrators, he added.
Gangadhar also informed that technical teams will be engaged to collect crucial evidence and vital clues from the spot. A total of three teams have been formed. One team headed by DSP rank officer Ratnaprava Satpathy visited the spot and the Balianta police station. Another team headed by DSP Ashutosh Mishra will investigate the molestation allegations levelled by the two young women. A cyber team led by a SI has been formed to assist the above two teams and collect/analyze the video clips and the mobile phone data.
A forensic science team has also been mobilised to examine the exhibits recovered from the spot. All effort is being made to conclude the investigation and submit the charge sheet within 90 days, he added.
