Odisha CM expresses grief over mob lynching incident, orders strict action
Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has expressed deep sorrow over the killing of a youth by an angry mob in the Balianta area on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar on Thursday, asking the police to take stringent action against perpetrators involved in the heinous crime.
According to an official statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), Majhi spoke to Director General of Police, Odisha Police, Y. B. Khurania and directed him to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter and take stringent action against those responsible.
The Chief Minister also advised the police administration and the police force to remain vigilant to ensure that such incidents of mob lynching do not recur in the future.
He further instructed the police to take the strictest possible action to uphold the rule of law in the state. The police have so far arrested four persons in connection with the incident and have continued the investigation.
The CMO informed that the Chief Minister also held discussions with the Chairperson of Odisha State Commission for Women, Sovana Mohanty, regarding the incident.
Meanwhile, Chairperson Mohanty is likely to visit Balianta on Friday to speak with the women who have alleged that they were sexually abused by the deceased, Soumya Ranjan Swain, in an effort to ascertain the truth while keeping in view all aspects of the incident.
Notably, the deceased, Swain, along with his friend Om Prakash Rout, was coming towards Bhubaneswar when they came across two girls travelling on a scooter. While overtaking the vehicle, the deceased’s motorcycle hit the scooter of the girls, reportedly leading to a heated argument near the Ramachandrapur bridge under Balianta police limits.
When the deceased allegedly tried to sexually assault the girls, the local villagers, after hearing their screams, rushed to the spot.
They brutally assaulted the deceased, tying them with ropes. Upon being informed, police reached the spot, rescued the duo and took them to the hospital, where doctors declared Soumya dead. The deceased, Soumya, was an Odisha Government Railway Police (GRP) Jawan.