The Odisha government on Monday transferred senior IPS officer Dayal Gangwar and appointed him Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Home Department amid growing controversy linked to the death of a railway police constable.
Gangwar, an ADG-ranked officer, had been serving as Additional Director General of Police (Communications) before the latest posting order was issued.
Allegations Raised by Constable’s Family
The controversy intensified after the death of Government Railway Police constable Soumya Ranjan Swain, who was allegedly lynched by a mob in the Balianta area on May 7.
Following the incident, Swain’s family accused the senior officer of placing the constable under mental pressure. According to the family, Soumya had earlier been assigned personal work allegedly unrelated to official responsibilities while working under Gangwar.
The deceased constable’s parents have also demanded a CBI investigation into both the killing and the allegations of harassment made against the officer.
Odisha Government Issues Transfer Changes
Apart from Gangwar’s transfer, the Home Department also revised a recent reshuffle order involving IPS officers in the state.
Earlier on May 23, the department had announced transfers of 14 IPS officers and four Odisha Police Service officers. However, Monday’s notification modified the postings of two IPS officers.
Parmar Smit Parshottamdas, a 2013-batch IPS officer who was initially appointed as Nayagarh Superintendent of Police, has now been posted as Khurda SP.
Meanwhile, 2019-batch IPS officer Suvendu Kumar Patra, who was earlier assigned as Khurda SP, will now serve as the Superintendent of Police of Nayagarh.
Focus on Administrative Accountability
The transfer of Gangwar comes as scrutiny continues over the circumstances surrounding the constable’s death and the allegations made by his family.
The case has drawn public attention in Odisha, with demands for accountability and an independent probe continuing to grow.
