Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Crime Branch on Wednesday submitted a chargesheet against 11 accused in connection with the alleged mob lynching of Government Railway Police (GRP) constable Soumya Ranjan Swain in Balianta on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar.
The chargesheet was filed by Investigating Officer Ratnaprava Satapathy, Deputy Superintendent of Police, CID-Crime Branch, before the Court of the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM), Bhubaneswar.
The 767-page chargesheet named 11 accused: Judhistira Jena, Ranjit Patra, Ranjit Rana, Panchanan Badajena, Binod Kumar Behera, Pradeep Chandra Mangaraj, Ashok Kumar Jena, Bibhuti Bhusan Parida, Subash Bhoi, Skylab Pati and Bismay Mohanty.
The chargesheet has been filed under Sections 103(1), 191(2), 191(3), 189(4), 190 and 127(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The agency said the prosecution is based on oral, documentary, scientific and other corroborative evidence collected during the investigation.
The 11 accused are among the 20 people who were arrested and produced before the court during the investigation.
The Crime Branch said it also examined the pleas and alibis of the remaining nine arrested persons, namely Santosh Pati alias Mantu, Suraj Ojha, Sangram Bhoi, Pramod Jena, Bunty Jena, Surajit Rana, Abhisek Kar, Sadananda Khuntia and Bikram Keshari Das.
After verifying the available evidence, investigators found no sufficient incriminating material at this stage to establish their active participation in the assault. As a result, the agency said the evidence was presently insufficient to make out a prima facie case for their prosecution.
However, the Crime Branch has kept the investigation open under Section 193(9) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) to facilitate the collection of additional evidence, obtain pending forensic reports and pursue other investigative leads.
Efforts are continuing to trace and arrest the remaining identified suspects involved in the incident. Supplementary chargesheets will be filed if further evidence emerges.
About the case: The case relates to the death of GRP constable Soumya Ranjan Swain, who allegedly died after being assaulted by a mob in the Bhingarpur-Kaja area under Balianta police limits on May 7. According to police, Swain and his associate, Om Prakash Rout, were travelling on a motorcycle when it collided with a scooter carrying two women. It was alleged that Swain assaulted the women and attempted to rape one of them, triggering an attack by an enraged crowd. Swain later succumbed to his injuries.
The post-mortem examination found 21 external injuries on Swain’s body. Severe trauma to multiple parts of his head caused blood clotting and swelling in the brain, which was identified as the cause of death. Blood clots were also found in his lungs.
Police have registered two separate cases in connection with the incident, one relating to the alleged murder of the constable and another concerning the alleged attempt to rape a woman. The investigation into both cases is continuing.