Bhubaneswar, May 10: Amidst mounting criticism from different quarters over brutal lynching of railway Constable Soumya Ranjan Swain in Balianta on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar in full public view, Commissionerate police on Sunday suspended four police personnel and attached Balianta police station IIC Anil Kumar Parida to the Bhubaneswar DCP headquarters.
As per the Commissionerate Police, the suspended police personnel include one Sub-Inspector, one ASI, one Odisha Armed Police Force (OAPF) personal and one Constable.
Similarly, the Commissionerate Police has written to the Home Guard organization for discontinuation of service of two Home Guards engaged at the Balianta police station.
Inspector In-Charge of of Balianta police Station, Anil Kumar Parida has been attached to UPD, Bhubaneswar headquarters. Rashmita Behera has been posted as the new IIC of the Balianta PS.
The development came a day after Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed deep anger and directed DGP Y B Khurania to ensure such incidents never recur.
Reviewing the State’s law and order in the wake of the barbaric killing, the Chief Minister, it is learnt that, also reprimanded senior officers of the Commissionerate Police for their alleged mishandling of the situation and directed that the responsibility be fixed at the earliest.
Meanwhile, deceased Soumya’s father, Dhusasana Swain, voiced anger over the lack of accountability.
“At least three uniformed officers and two in plainclothes reached. They did little to save him,” alleged Dhusasana.
Soumya’s friend Om Prakash Patra, who was riding the motorcycle on the fateful day, recalled that a PCR van comprising just three police personnel arrived and started noting their details even when the violent mob continued to assault Soumya.
Soumya was tied to a pole and beaten mercilessly in full public view like an animal after being accused of allegedly sexually harassing a woman on a busy road on Thursday.
