Bhubaneswar, Aug 5: The Odisha Crime Branch on Wednesday filed a comprehensive 767-page chargesheet against 11 persons in connection with the alleged mob lynching of Government Railway Police (GRP) constable Soumya Ranjan Swain in Balianta on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar. The agency, however, has kept the investigation open to gather additional evidence, obtain pending forensic reports and trace other suspects linked to the case.
The chargesheet was submitted before the Court of the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM), Bhubaneswar, by Investigating Officer Ratnaprava Satapathy, Deputy Superintendent of Police, CID-Crime Branch.
The accused named in the chargesheet are Judhistira Jena, Ranjit Patra, Ranjit Rana, Panchanan Badajena, Binod Kumar Behera, Pradeep Chandra Mangaraj, Ashok Kumar Jena, Bibhuti Bhusan Parida, Subash Bhoi, Skylab Pati and Bismay Mohanty. They have been charged under Sections 103(1), 191(2), 191(3), 189(4), 190 and 127(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
According to the Crime Branch, the prosecution case is supported by oral, documentary, scientific and other corroborative evidence collected during the investigation. The 11 accused are among the 20 persons arrested and produced before the court during the course of the probe.
Investigators also examined the role of the remaining nine arrested persons after verifying their claims and alibis. The agency stated that no sufficient incriminating evidence was found at this stage to establish their active involvement in the assault, and therefore no prima facie case has been made out against them for prosecution.
The Crime Branch has invoked Section 193(9) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) to continue the investigation. Officials said efforts are underway to identify and apprehend other suspects, and supplementary chargesheets will be filed if fresh evidence emerges.
The case relates to the death of GRP constable Soumya Ranjan Swain, who allegedly succumbed to injuries after being brutally assaulted by a mob in the Bhingarpur-Kaja area under Balianta police limits on May 7. The incident had triggered widespread concern, prompting the Crime Branch to take over the investigation.
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