Chargesheet filed against 11 in Odisha GRP constable lynching case

The Odisha Police's Crime Investigation Department (CID)-Crime Branch on Wednesday, August 5, filed a chargesheet against 11 people for their alleged involvement in the lynching of Government Railway Police (GRP) constable Soumya Ranjan Swain on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar on May 7.

The 767-page chargesheet was submitted before the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) Court in Bhubaneswar by the investigating officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police Ratnaprava Satapathy.

Although 20 people were arrested during the investigation, the Crime Branch filed the chargesheet against only 11 accused, stating that the evidence collected so far was insufficient to establish a prima facie case against the remaining nine individuals.

In a statement, the CID-Crime Branch said the available evidence was currently inadequate to warrant prosecution of the remaining accused.

The chargesheet invokes multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including sections related to murder and rioting.

According to investigators, Swain was allegedly tied to a pole and assaulted by a mob, resulting in his death.

The CID-Crime Branch said the investigation remains open to facilitate the collection of additional evidence, examination of pending forensic reports and pursuit of other leads in the case.

Officials said efforts are continuing to trace and apprehend the remaining identified suspects. They added that supplementary chargesheets would be filed before the competent court if further evidence emerges during the investigation.

The case was initially investigated by the Balianta Police Station before Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi ordered the CID-Crime Branch to take over the probe, citing the sensitivity of the matter.

The incident drew widespread attention after a woman accused the GRP constable of attempting to sexually assault her, while the constable's family demanded a polygraph test of the complainant.

Police had initially arrested 11 people, while the Crime Branch later arrested nine more during its investigation.

Following public outrage over the incident, the Odisha Police suspended four personnel attached to Balianta Police Station and disengaged two home guards for alleged inaction and failure to prevent the mob attack.

According to the complaint, Swain and another person 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, following which an enraged crowd attacked him. He later succumbed to his injuries.

The postmortem report recorded 21 external injuries on Swain's body and stated that severe head trauma caused blood clotting and swelling in the brain, which could have led to his death. Blood clots were also found in his lungs.

The CID-Crime Branch is investigating two separate cases arising from the incident one related to the lynching and murder of the GRP constable and the other concerning the alleged attempted rape of the woman.