Bhubaneswar: One more person was arrested Tuesday in connection with the lynching of a GRP constable in Odisha, taking the total number of apprehended people in this connection to 19, police said.
Government Railway Police (GRP) constable Soumya Ranjan Swain was allegedly tied to a pole and beaten to death by a mob in Bhingarpur-Kaja area under the jurisdiction of Balianta police station on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar May 7.
The incident took place after a woman alleged that Swain attempted to rape her, following a collision between his motorcycle and her two-wheeler, police said.
A 26-year-old man of Benupur village under Balianta police station was arrested in Cuttack, the police said in a statement.
The CID Crime Branch has been entrusted with the investigation into the incident. The accused individuals were arrested based on the video footage showing their involvement in the killing of the GRP constable.
Police said that several other people engaged in the crime have been identified, and they will be arrested soon.
Around seven more people were still at large, an official said.
The Odisha government has suspended a senior IPS officer Dayal Gangwar after it was found that he had engaged eight GRP constables, including Swain, in his domestic work.
The family of the deceased had alleged that their son was harassed by the IPS officer and was under stress before he was killed.
Apart from this, four police personnel have been suspended over their failure to save the life of Swain during the assault, even though they were present at the spot. Balianta Police Station inspector was also transferred from his post after the incident.
A National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) team had undertaken an on-the-spot inquiry into the incident.
