This lynching case from outskirts of Bhubaneswar is honestly disturbing on many levels . A Government Railway Police (GRP) constable,Soumya Ranjan Swain,ended up dead after mob attack on May 7,and now investigation has reached 17 arrests .
And still,it does not feel like full picture is out.
On May 28,the Crime Branch of Odisha Police arrested prime accused Ashok Jena,also known as Geda,from a hotel in Bhubaneswar . Police say this arrest was made based on evidence collected during investigation.
What makes case more complicated is how quickly whole situation allegedly escalated . Soumya Ranjan Swain and his friend,Om Prakash Rout,had reportedly encountered two girls on scooter,and that allegedly resulted in collision . After that,accusations came up against Swain,claiming he attempted to sexually assault one of the girls .
Then screams reportedly brought local villagers there,and crowd turned into mob . Swain and Rout were violently attacked,and Swain later died at hospital . And tbh,this is exactly where anger stops looking like justice and starts looking like something far more dangerous.
- Total arrests in case now stand at 17 .
- Crime Branch of Odisha Police apprehended prime accused Ashok Jena,also known as Geda,on May 28 at a hotel in Bhubaneswar .
- Authorities are still searching for 8 to 10 additional suspects.
Crime Branch has also been using viral videos of incident to identify people involved . In one way,technology is helping investigation move faster,but at same time,it is scary that such brutal violence was happening openly enough to be recorded and shared .
Public anger across Odisha and even broader nation is understandable because mob violence is not small thing ah . Allegation may be serious,but mob deciding punishment on spot can destroy truth,law and lives all together .
And now pressure is on authorities to catch everyone involved,especially those 8 to 10 additional suspects still at large . But bigger question is still hanging there… how does society handle serious accusations without letting mob mentality take over completely…
