Bhubaneswar, June 19 (IANS) Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has suspended senior IPS officer Dayal Gangwar, who is currently serving as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the state Home Department, according to the Chief Minister’s Office.

Although the state government on Thursday has not yet disclosed the reason behind the disciplinary action against the Additional Director General of Police (ADGP)-rank officer, it is suspected that the move is linked to Gangwar’s alleged involvement in the mental harassment of former Government Railway Police (GRP) Constable Soumya Ranjan Swain, who was lynched by a mob in the Balianta area on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar last month.

The disciplinary action reportedly follows a probe carried out by Arun Bothra, a senior IPS officer and ADGP Railways and Coastal Security.

On May 7, Soumya, a Railway Constable, was beaten to death by a mob of villagers over allegations of sexually assaulting a girl in the Balianta area on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar.

Meanwhile, Soumya’s aggrieved mother levelled serious allegations against Gangwar, claiming that her son had been under severe mental pressure due to the 1998-batch IPS officer, during Gangwar’s posting as ADGP Railways.

She also alleged that the senior police officer not only assigned personal work to the deceased Constable but also subjected him to mental harassment.

According to Soumya’s mother, the former GRP Constable was looking after a gym centre allegedly owned by one associate of Gangwar in Bhubaneswar.

As the controversy escalated, the state government on May 25 transferred Gangwar, then serving as ADGP Communication and posted him as OSD in the Home Department.

Later, following the intervention of the National Human Rights Commission, the ADGP (Railways and Coastal Security) was directed to investigate the allegations against Gangwar and submit a report in this regard.

The Crime Branch of Odisha Police, which is investigating the brutal mob lynching of Soumya, has so far arrested 18 accused persons, while a search is underway to nab several others who are still scot-free.

–IANS

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