Odisha: Six more held for lynching GRP constable over 'attempt to rape' charge

Six more people were arrested for allegedly being involved in the lynching of a 32-year-old GRP constable, who was accused of attempting to rape a woman in Odisha's Khurda district two days ago, police said. With these arrests, the number of people apprehended in the case rose to 11, a senior officer said. The GRP constable, identified as Soumya Ranjan Swain, was beaten to death and another person Om Prakash Rout was injured when around 40 people attacked them over the alleged attempt to rape a woman in the Balianta Police Station area on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar on May 7. The deceased's father, Dushasan Swain, alleged that a police team which reached the spot also assaulted his son, instead of rescuing him. The injured person in the mob attack corroborated the father's allegation. ''One can clearly see in a purported video that a constable was assaulting my son. I have already informed the matter to DCP Jagmohan Meena,'' the father said. He had claimed that the police team rescued Swain and took him to a hospital. The policemen had properly handled the tense situation, and their efforts should be appreciated, he said. ''My son was taken to the hospital with his hands and legs tied. This has happened in the presence of the police. Had the police intervened, my son would have been alive today,'' the father said, rejecting the allegation of attempting to rape a woman. ''I demand a polygraph test of the woman who had lodged a case against my son'', the father told reporters. Meanwhile, Odisha Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan assured the victim's family that the government will take strict action against those involved in the Balianta mob lynching case. The minister said the administration has adopted a tough stance against criminals.

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