Balianta cops acted under pressure, arrested some innocent men in constable lynch case: Mishra

Bhubaneswar: DGP (in-charge) Vinaytosh Mishra on Tuesday said Balianta police in Bhubaneswar had acted “under pressure” and arrested some “innocent” persons in connection with the mob lynching of railway constable Soumya Ranjan Swain in May. The case is currently being investigated by the crime branch.“Under pressure, the Balianta police arrested some accused on the basis of certain nicknames mentioned in the complaint. The crime branch subsequently found them to be innocent and did not include them in the chargesheet. The crime branch is not under any pressure and is conducting the investigation in a highly professional manner,” Mishra told reporters.Swain (32) was allegedly beaten to death by a mob at Balianta on May 7 after accusations surfaced that he had attempted to rape a 22-year-old woman by the roadside. Swain was assaulted in full public view and in the presence of police personnel, triggering widespread outrage. Following the incident, four police personnel were suspended and the then inspector in-charge of Balianta police station was transferred.A total of 20 men were arrested in connection with the case, with 11 arrested by Balianta police during the initial investigation and nine by the crime branch after it took over the probe on May 9.A senior officer of the commissionerate police, however, defended Balianta police action, saying, “We acted promptly and arrested the accused.”On Aug 5, the crime branch filed a chargesheet against 11 accused before the court of the sub-divisional judicial magistrate (SDJM). The remaining nine persons, who were earlier arrested by Balianta police, were not chargesheeted after investigators found insufficient evidence linking them to the crime.According to the crime branch, the chargesheet is based on oral evidence, documentary records, scientific findings and other corroborative materials collected during the investigation. The crime branch said they examined the pleas and alibis of the nine accused excluded from the chargesheet but found no incriminating evidence establishing their active involvement in the lynching.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Bhubaneswar | Silver Rate in Bhubaneswar | Bank Holidays in Bhubaneswar | Public Holidays in Bhubaneswar | Petrol Price in Bhubaneswar | Diesel Price in Bhubaneswar | CNG Price in Bhubaneswar | LPG Price in BhubaneswarStay updated with the latest Bhubaneswar news. Download the TOI App.