The number of arrests in Odisha’s alleged mob-lynching case has risen to 11, even as a key eyewitness has levelled serious allegations, claiming that the assault took place in the presence of police.

The incident occurred on May 7 under the Balianta police station limits on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, when railway constable Soumya Ranjan Swain, 32, was beaten to death by a mob. He was accused of attempting to rape a woman on a busy road in broad daylight.

Soumya died of his injuries. Doctors at Capital Hospital, Bhubaneswar, declared him brought dead. The incident triggered widespread outrage, with political parties expressing concern over mob justice and the breakdown of law and order.

Om Prakash, who was accompanying the deceased at the time, offered a different account of the events.

“While we were travelling on a motorcycle around 11 a.m., Soumya lost control of the bike and hit a two-wheeler carrying two women. I believe he may have suffered a seizure at that moment. It is true that he slapped one of the women after she fell, but it is incorrect to say he attempted rape,” he told the media on Saturday (May 9, 2026).

According to Om Prakash, a police team reached the spot within 15 minutes. However, locals had already dragged Soumya into an agricultural field about 500 metres away from the main road connecting Binjharpur to NH-16, where he was allegedly assaulted.

The woman involved in the incident, however, maintained that she believed the constable was attempting to sexually assault her.

Meanwhile, family members of the deceased questioned the allegation, stating it was “beyond imagination” that someone would attempt rape on a busy road in broad daylight and in full public view.

“The woman who lodged the complaint should undergo a polygraph test. The police must also investigate this barbaric incident with utmost seriousness,” a family member said.

BJD flags ‘deterioration of law and order’

While the Opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) escalated its attack on the alleged deterioration of law and order in Odisha, the party sought clarification on the involvement of an Additional Director General of Police in the gym business.

“According to the allegations made by Soumya’s mother, her son was working as a trainer in the gym of a police ADG. That ADG reportedly had gym businesses at several places across Bhubaneswar. Besides this, he also had a truck business. Was the Director General of Police unaware of these facts? If serving police officers remain engaged in business activities, then the collapse of law and order in the State is natural,” said BJD leader Lekhashree Samantsinghar addressing a press conference on Saturday (May 9, 2026).

She pointed out that in the same Balianta area, a young man was beaten to death with stones over merely ₹20,000. The police, however, have so far failed to arrest the main accused involved in all these crimes, which clearly shows that these criminals were operating under the political protection of the government, she alleged.

The State Government has ordered Crime Branch probe into the case.