Bhubaneswar, May 23: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken serious note of the murder of railway constable Soumyaranjan Swain in Balianta and ordered a high-level probe into the incident. Along with allegations of mob lynching, the Commission is also examining claims of exploitation and harassment by a senior IPS officer.

Acting on a petition filed by human rights activist Bhajaman Biswal, the NHRC has directed its Director General (Investigation) to conduct a spot inquiry and submit a detailed report by June 4. The Commission has also sought reports from the Odisha Chief Secretary and Director General of Police (DGP), asking them to complete the investigation and submit an Action Taken Report (ATR) within two weeks.

The petition alleged that an officer of Additional DGP rank had been misusing his authority by forcing Soumyaranjan to work like a domestic servant. Family members of the deceased constable also claimed that he was compelled to perform personal chores at the officer’s residence and was mentally harassed whenever he refused to massage the officer.

Observing that compelling lower-rank police personnel to perform such duties amounts to a violation of human rights, the NHRC decided not to rely solely on official government reports and instead ordered an independent field inquiry by its investigation wing.

Meanwhile, 15 accused persons arrested in connection with the murder case appeared before the SDJM court through virtual mode from Jharpada Special Jail. Judge Amit Kumar interacted with the accused via video conferencing and reviewed their condition. Though the accused were scheduled to appear physically in court for the remand hearing, they were produced virtually from jail premises.