Bhubaneswar: Family members and villagers of lynching victim Soumya Ranjan Swain on Saturday demanded a polygraph test on the woman who accused him of attempting rape on a busy road in Balianta area on Thursday, an allegation that triggered the fatal attack.
Village in Mourning
A wave of anger and grief has engulfed Swain's Maujpur village, located about 27 km from Bhubaneswar, where its 600 residents are demanding clarity on the circumstances surrounding the mob lynching. They insist the charges were false and believe her false claims incited the mob's violence against Swain.
Father Rejects Allegations
Swain's father, Dhusasana Swain, a farmer, rejected the allegations outright. “The woman is lying. The location she mentioned is a busy stretch where no one would dare commit such an offence in broad daylight. My son may have had enemies I was unaware of. She might have connived with them to kill him. She should be subjected to a lie-detector test,” he said.
The family also dismissed claims that Soumya collapsed on the woman due to a seizure, leading to a misunderstanding. His friend, Om Prakash Rout, on Friday suggested this possibility, but Dhusasana countered: “My son had no history of epileptic seizures. He was fit and fine.”
Allegations of Police Bias
Soumya's uncle, Ajay Kumar Dash, accused the commissionerate police of bias. “We do not trust the current investigation. The police are painting my nephew in bad light without conducting a thorough inquiry. He was beaten to death in front of the police, yet they concluded he was at fault. We cannot expect justice from them,” Dash said, adding that senior police officers, including the police commissioner, deputy commissioner of police and Balianta inspector-in-charge, should be held accountable for their failure to handle the mob violence.
Villagers echoed the family's anger, alleging that Balianta police heckled them when they visited the station on Thursday night. “The role of the police is suspicious from the beginning. They appear to be justifying mob violence,” Dash added.
Police Response
Police officials, meanwhile, denied the charges and maintained that the investigation is progressing. “We are investigating the murder case from all angles,” a senior officer said, urging patience as inquiries continue.
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About the Author: Debabrata Mohapatra is an Assistant Editor at The Times of India, Bhubaneswar. He had been writing for TOI from Puri since 2006 before joining the Bhubaneswar bureau in August 2010. He covers crime, law & order and Congress.
