Bhubaneswar: The woman victim of an alleged rape attempt in Balianta has now raised questions over both the police and Crime Branch (CB) investigations, alleging that the probe is being conducted in a “one-sided manner”.
She said she had already informed the Crime Branch about her ordeal on the day of the incident.
However, she questioned why action was not taken against another accused, identified as Om Prakash Mohanty, while Soumya Ranjan Swain, a Government Railway Police (GRP) constable described as the main accused, lost his life in the assault by locals.
As per reports, the CB has launched an investigation into the alleged killing of Swain in Balianta on the City outskirts following accusations of attempted rape against a woman.
The case was earlier investigated by the Balianta police.
On the second day of the Crime Branch inquiry, investigators examined the postmortem report, scientific evidence, call detail records (CDRs), and viral videos related to the incident.
Officials are also investigating whether the violence was spontaneous or part of a larger conspiracy.
Meanwhile, controversy has emerged over the legal sections invoked in the case.
Although Soumya was allegedly beaten to death by a crowd, Balian ta police have registered the case under a standard murder charge under Section 103(1) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), instead of applying provisions related to mob lynching under Section 103(2).
Legal experts and observers have raised concerns that the absence of mob violence charges could weaken the prosecution during trial proceedings.
Responding to the criticism, Crime Branch DG Mishra clarified that mob lynching provisions are generally applied in special circumstances involving violence motivated by caste, religion, or communal factors and involving five or more persons.
He stated that such conditions were not evident in this case. He further said that the punishment for murder remains the same irrespective of whether mob lynching sections are invoked.
Mishra also cautioned against assuming that every person present at the scene participated in the violence, noting that some individuals could have been eyewitnesses.
The incident occurred May 7, when Soumya was allegedly beaten to death in Balianta.
The Crime Branch officially took over the investigation Sunday.
NHRC seeks report in 15 days.
In a related development, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) directed Odis ha DGP YB Khurania to personally investigate the matter and submit a report within 15 days.