The Odisha government has suspended senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Dayal Gangwar following allegations of harassment made by the family of slain Government Railway Police (GRP) constable Soumya Ranjan Swain. The suspension is an immediate response to the increasing calls for action after the constable’s family claimed the officer inflicted on him mental and physical suffering during his tenure under the GRP.
The suspension was reportedly approved by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi weeks after Gangwar was shifted from his role as Additional Director General (ADG) of the erstwhile CBI agency to a position of officer on special duty (OOSD) in the Home Department.
The action didn’t have any direct connection to the May 7 agitation when Soumya Ranjan Swain was lynched near Bhubaneswar. Swain was rampaged and beaten by a mob and died. At autopsy he was found to have died from serious injuries caused by blunt force trauma, which resulted in a massive amount of bleeding in the brain.
But Swain’s family has claimed that Gangwar harassed the constable in the days the IPS officer led the Police Recruit Promotions Committee. Swain’s father stated that his son had been forced to do personal work off-duty from the police. He also claimed the constable had to work at a gym owned by the officer, and had to pay him a lot money for expensive protein supplements.
In addition, the family said, that Swain had to massage the officer and his son for long periods every day and that this had resulted in him developing hand soreness and swelling. Relatives reported the alleged treatment caused the constable to become “severe mental stress.”
After the allegations, ADG Railways Arun Bothra directed a departmental probe into the allegations against Gangwar. Police are expected to investigate the allegations, and decide if there is a need for some disciplinary or legal action.