A significant verdict has been delivered in Assams infamous Abhi Neel mob lynching case On Monday the Nagaon District and Sessions Court convicted 20 of the 45 accused while acquitting the remaining 25 due to a lack of evidence The quantum of punishment for the convicted accused will be pronounced on April 24 The family has expressed dissatisfaction with the verdict and intends to approach the High Court.
This incident dates back to June 8 2018 when a mob beat Abhijit Nath and Nilotpal Das to death in Panjuri Kachari village (under the Dokmoka Police Station jurisdiction) in the Karbi Anglong district The two youths had ventured out from Guwahati for a trip At the time the prosecution stated that rumors accusing them of being child abductors had spread rapidly across social media. It was suspected that the mob of villagers had killed the two youths The youths pleaded for their lives and revealed their identities but the mob turned a deaf ear to their pleas Subsequently a video of the incident surfaced sparking outrage across the entire state of Assam.
After examining the evidence the court convicted 20 accused individuals on various charges including unlawful assembly rioting and assaulting government officials in addition to charges under Section 302 (murder) and Section 149 (common intention) While acquitting 25 accused the court observed that the charges leveled against them could not be proven beyond reasonable doubt Furthermore the court noted that in certain instances the allegations of mischief and provocation had not been sufficiently substantiated.
The Superintendent of Nagaon Central Jail has been ordered to release the acquitted accused provided they are not wanted in any other case Nilotpal Dass father expressed outrage over this development and stated that he would approach the Gauhati High Court after seeking legal advice At the time this incident had triggered widespread protests across the state Civil society organizations and the general public had demanded stringent laws and strict action against mob violence incited by rumors.
