GUWAHATI: Seven years and 10 months after two friends were lynched in Assam’s hilly district of Karbi Anglong on suspicion of being child lifters in a case that triggered nationwide spark, a district court in Assam on Monday convicted 20 people for the crime.Sound engineer Nilotpal Das (29) and his businessman friend Abhijeet Nath (31) were pulled out of their car and killed by a mob on June 8, 2018, suspecting them as child lifters.The Nagaon District Sessions Judge DJ Mahanta, while acquitting 25 others in the case, said the sentence for the 20 found guilty would be pronounced on April 24 under various charges of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including murder committed by one or more members of an unlawful assembly, rioting, obstructing a public servant from performing their official duty and voluntarily causing hurt.
The court also ruled that the prosecution failed to prove its case against 25 others who were arrested in connection with this and are currently lodged in jail. The prosecution has failed to prove the charges of ‘murder’, ‘unlawful assembly’ and ‘rioting’ besides others against the acquitted people.The judge directed the Superintendent of Nagaon Central Jail to release the acquitted persons, while the accused, along with their counsels, should be present in the court for the sentence on April 24.Altogether 48 persons were arrested in connection with the case, but three other accused were minor and are currently lodged in the Jorhat Juvenile Home.Nilotpal and Abhijeet Nath went to the Kangthilangso picnic spot under the jurisdiction of Dokmoka police station in Karbi Anglong and on their return, a group of irate villagers stopped their vehicle at Panjuri, pulled them out and began beating them on June 8, 2018.A video was circulated over social media then, where the duo was seen pleading that they were not child-lifters but were visiting Karbi Anglong.Das, a sound engineer based in Mumbai, had come to Assam on vacation and, along with Nath, a businessman, had gone to Karbi Anglong to capture sounds of nature and visit some scenic spots. The police had rushed the duo to a hospital, but both died on the way.The parents of both slain friends were unhappy with the acquittals.The first hearing of the case was held in Diphu court on November 8, 2018. Thereafter, the Gauhati High Court shifted the case to the district and sessions’ judges’ court in Nagaon.
