Bhubaneswar: The young woman who was allegedly assaulted in the Balianta lynching incident has given a chilling account of the horrific attack, describing how one of the accused tried to sexually assault her after tearing her clothes.
The barbaric incident took place at the Bhingarapur area under Balianta police station limits in Bhubaneswar on Thursday afternoon. One of accused, identified as Soumya Ranjan Swain, died due to mob lynching.
Recounting the terrifying sequence of events, the victim said she and her friend were returning on a scooter when two men on a motorcycle deliberately hit their vehicle, knocking both women to the ground. “One of them hit me on the head. He then pulled and tore the dupatta I had tied around my face and ripped my dress as well. He attempted to rape me,” she alleged.
The victim said she screamed for help, after which local residents rushed to the spot and overpowered the two men, rescuing her from the attackers. She revealed that she lost consciousness during the ordeal. When she regained her senses, she found locals had covered her with clothes and were providing first aid.
“My legs were badly injured and I had wounds on my head as well. My friend also sustained serious injuries on her leg and head,” she added.
The victim clarified that she had never seen the two men before the incident.
Strongly appealing to the police and administration, the woman urged them not to take action against the local residents who intervened. “Had the locals not come to my rescue, I would not have been alive today. They saved me. It is unfair to arrest them,” she said emotionally.
The victim, who lodged a complaint against both the accused, further maintained that while she never wanted anyone to lose their life, the locals acted out of understandable anger after witnessing the brutal assault.
The incident has sparked massive outrage, with five persons already arrested by the police in connection with the subsequent lynching of Soumya.
