Railway cop tied to pole, lynched by mob in police presence for rape bid

BHUBANESWAR: In a gruesome incident of mob justice, a railway constable was lynched by some people in board daylight on Thursday with his hands and feet tied to a pole for an alleged attempt to rape a woman on the road. The incident, which happened on the city’s outskirts and apparently in front of the police, has sent shockwaves after a video went viral.

The deceased was identified as Soumya Ranjan Swain (32), who also worked as a part-time gym trainer. Late in the night, four persons have been arrested for their role in the assault.

Police said around 10.30 am, Swain, a government railway police (GRP) employee, was riding with his friend Om Prakash Rout (20) on a two-wheeler when they encountered two women travelling on a scooter in the Balianta area. The women, who belonged to another district, were on their way to Bhubaneswar.

“Swain allegedly passed lewd remarks and rammed his bike into the scooter. When the women fell down, he attempted to rape one of them (as per a complaint of one of the women). When the women raised an alarm, passers-by intervened. Swain heckled them, prompting more locals to gather and attack him,” said DCP Jagmohan Meena.

The DCP said Swain was behaving ‘abnormally and aggressively.’ “When our police van reached after receiving information, Swain resisted rescue efforts and even bit one of our personnel. He was behaving abnormally. He was rushed to Capital Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. His friend Rout was not attacked,” the DCP said.

Two cases have been registered — one on the woman’s sexual assault complaint against Swain, and the other regarding the murder. “We are identifying attackers through viral video clips. Four persons have been arrested,” Meena said.

Situation remained tense at Balianta police station following a clash between police and relatives of the deceased late in the night.

The gym trainer’s mother blamed the police for failing to rescue him. “Had the police stopped the mob, my son would have been saved. Police stood like mute spectators,” she alleged.

Responding to criticism about police inaction, the DCP said, “Swain was already in serious condition before our police van reached. Our personnel controlled the mob and deserve appreciation. There was no negligence on our part.” Police sources said the control room got a call at 11.02 am and reached the spot at 11.10 am.

In the aftermath of the incident, CM Mohan Charan Majhi directed DGP Y B Khurania to take stringent action against those responsible. “The CM spoke to the DGP and instructed the police to remain vigilant to prevent such incidents,” a statement from the CMO read.

Sources said a complaint had earlier been lodged against Swain in 2021 at Cuttack’s Mahila police station for alleged sexual assault of a woman on the pretext of marriage.