Crime branch makes first arrest in Balianta lynching case

Bhubaneswar: Three days after taking over the investigation into the May 7 lynching of railway constable Soumya Ranjan Swain in Balianta here, the crime branch made its first arrest on Tuesday.

The accused, Judhistir Swain alias Bunty, a 23-year-old local resident, was taken into custody, raising the total arrests in the case to 12. Earlier, Balianta police arrested 11 men, most of them farmers or shop assistants from the area.

A crime branch official said more arrests are likely to follow. “We have identified additional suspects through video footage. They are currently absconding,” the officer said.

Investigations have revealed that several suspects were intoxicated at the time. “They were present in their villages and rushed to the spot upon hearing of the incident. They brutally assaulted Swain, tying his hands and feet to a pole, without knowing the background of the matter,” the official added.

The probe also uncovered fresh video evidence showing a scuffle within the mob itself, as some of them attempted to stop the attackers. “It appeared that certain men in the group tried to prevent the lynching and clashed with the assailants. We will trace those people and record their statements as witnesses,” the officer said.

Crime branch officials faced challenges in collecting forensic evidence, as the crime scene was not sealed by Balianta police and was found contaminated.

DGP Y B Khurania reviewed the progress on Tuesday. “The investigation is moving in the right direction. All angles are being examined, and the perpetrators will face exemplary action,” Khurania said.

The crime branch inquiry revealed that Swain was in a hallucinatory state, probably due to a suspected overdose of steroids, traces of which were found in his blood. He reportedly mistook a woman on a scooter for another woman, who had filed a sexual harassment case against him in 2021. According to the woman’s complaint, Swain assaulted her and attempted rape. Locals intervened, leading to the fatal mob attack in front of police personnel.

The incident has sent shockwaves across the state, prompting chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi to reprimand the commissionerate police for inaction and order a crime branch probe on May 9. Four police personnel were suspended, and the Balianta inspector-in-charge was shunted.