Bhubaneswar, May 12 (PTI) One more person was arrested in connection with the lynching of a GRP constable who was accused of attempting to rape a woman after a road accident in Odisha’s Khurda district, police said on Tuesday.
With this arrest, the number of people apprehended in the case rose to twelve, he said, adding that this was the first arrest by the Crime Branch of Odisha Police after it took over the investigation of the murder of GRP constable Soumya Ranjan Swain on May 7.
“Based on video footage, one more person was arrested in the case, taking the total number of apprehended people to 12 so far,” a senior CB officer said.
Separate teams of the crime branch have been probing into two cases lodged at Balianta police station, on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar. While one case was over the mob lynching of Swain, another case had been registered based on the complaint of a woman who accused the victim of attempting to rape her and of physical assault.
Sources said the CB has identified a total of 16 people for their alleged involvement in the lynching case, of whom 12 people have so far been arrested.
Multiple teams of the Crime Branch are conducting raids at various places to arrest the accused persons, the official said.
Meanwhile, Opposition BJD on Tuesday announced a programme to stage a demonstration near the Odisha Police state headquarters in Cuttack on May 14, to protest the brutal killing of Swain in the presence of police.
“The party would stage a demonstration for one hour from 9 am to 10 am in front of State Police Headquarters protesting the rise in crimes across the state, including the mob lynching of a man near Bhubaneswar,” BJD vice-president Pratap Jena told reporters in Cuttack.
Odisha Law minister P Harichandan said that the police have taken swift action in all cases ever since the BJP came to power.
“It is unfortunate that the opposition BJD and Congress are attempting to take political mileage by misleading people over the law and order situation,” the minister said.
DGP Y B Khurania, on the day reviewed the prevailing law and order situation across the state and asked police personnel to stress on “communication, coordination followed by action”, to deal with the sensitive crimes like murder and rapes, an official attending the meeting said.
Odisha Police maintained that based on the preliminary findings of the Crime Branch, the Commissionerate of Police, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack, has placed four cops under suspension and disengaged two home guards from service. The Balianta police station inspector in charge was also shifted, and a new officer has been appointed in his place.
Apart from examining the personnel of Balianta Police Station, the CB teams have met the mob-lynching victim Swain’s parents and the women who were allegedly assaulted by Swain.
The 32-year-old GRP constable was allegedly beaten to death by a group of people near Ramachandrapur bridge under Balianta police limits, on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, on May 7, after Swain physically assaulted two women, and one woman accused him of attempting to rape her. PTI AAM AAM RG
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