3 min readBhubaneswarMay 8, 2026 05:30 AM IST
A MAN was beaten to death while another sustained critical injuries following an attack by a mob for allegedly misbehaving and attempting to sexually assault two women in Balianta police station area on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar on Thursday.
The deceased has been identified as Soumya Ranjan Swain of Adaspur area. The incident triggered outrage as it allegedly happened in the presence of police personnel.
CM Mohan Charan Majhi asked the police to ensure no repeat of such incidents. Majhi, who returned from Gujarat in the evening, took stock of the situation and talked to DGP Y B Khurania and State Commission for Women chairperson Sobhna Mohanty.
“The CM has ordered a thorough investigation into the incident and strict action against the culprits,” a statement issued by the CMO said, adding that so far four people were arrested in connection with mob lynching.
Terming the incident “barbaric”, Leader of the Opposition Naveen Patnaik hit out at the CM, saying the government’s inexplicable silence is shocking the people of the state. “If such incidents are occurring in the presence of police, whom will people turn to for protection? Why is the police administration and the government so helpless before criminals?…,” he wrote on X.
According to the police, the two men were riding a motorcycle which collided with the two-wheeler of the two women, leading to heated exchange of words. When the matter escalated, the locals assembled and attacked the two men. The mob tied their hands and legs and continued to assault them, purported videos of which are circulating on social media.
After the police arrived at the spot, the two men were rushed to the Capital Hospital where Swain was declared dead. The injured man is undergoing treatment, said the police.
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According to Swain’s family members, he was working with the government railway police and ran a gym near his house.
Bhubaneswar DCP Jagmohan Meena said three parties are involved in the incident — the two women on the scooter, the two men, including the deceased, and the locals who assaulted Swain and the other man. Two FIRs have been registered in the case, one for murder and another for attempt to rape, said the officer.
On allegations of the incident happening in police presence, the DCP said the PCR vehicle reached the spot immediately after getting calls. “The PCR team rescued the men and took them to the hospital with the help of the local police,” said Meena.
—With inputs from PTI
