Bhubaneswar: The 22-year-old woman, whose rape bid allegation against railway constable Soumya Ranjan Swain (32) led to his lynching in Balianta on city outskirts last month, deposed before a two-member NHRC inquiry panel here on Wednesday.Though she avoided media questions, NHRC sources confirmed that she reaffirmed the contents of her FIR.According to her complaint, she, along with a friend, was riding a scooter on the morning of May 7 when Swain’s bike collided with theirs. She alleged that Swain, who was riding pillion, forcibly dragged her to the roadside, tore her clothes, and attempted to sexually assault her in broad daylight.She stated that cries for help drew local residents to the spot, who intervened and rescued her. Swain was subsequently lynched despite police presence.A local resident told the panel the police seemed helpless.Four police personnel — a sub-inspector, an assistant sub-inspector and two constables — who were suspended for negligence and failing to protect Swain, also recorded their statements.An ambulance driver, Sugyan Mallick, recounted the sequence of events before the commission. “We received a call at 11.06 am about an accident at Ramchandrapur in Balianta. By the time we reached there at 11.34 am, the caller informed us that the victim had already been shifted in a truck,” he said.The two-member NHRC team’s investigation covers the chain of events leading to the violence, role of law enforcement and allegations of police negligence.
