CHARGE SHEET FILED AGAINST 48 IN ASSAM LYNCHING CASE

GUWAHATI: The Assam police on Saturday filed a charge sheet against 48 people in the sensational lynching of Abhijit Nath, a businessman and Nilotpal Das, a musician, confirming that they were killed for being suspected child-lifters. All accused are in judicial custody.

The incident happened on June 8 in Panjuri Kachari village of the tribal Karbi Anglong district when the duo was waylaid by more than 200 member strong mob which suspected them to be Xopa Dhora (child-lifters).

“At the chief judicial magistrate court in Diphu (Karbi Anglong district headquarters) we have submitted more than 900 pages of which the charge sheet is 46 pages,” said Kuladhar Saikia, director general of police, Assam.

All the 48 accused have been charged with murder while other sections vary according to their specific role in the crime, Saikia said refusing to reveal further details of the document. The charge sheet has been filed within the stipulated 90 days period,” he said.

On the motive, a senior Karbi Anglong district police official said, “A mass hysteria took over after the rumour spread that the duo are child-lifters. They could have let them go when they did not find any child in the car. But the mob decided to kill them,” he said.

The ghastly lynching of the duo who were pulled out of their Black Scorpio and fatally assaulted by the mob was videographed by the locals. In one of the videos the victims are seen begging the assaulters that they are Assamese. Both Nilotpal (29) and Abhijit (30) lived in Guwahati. It was a phone call from one Alphajoz Timung, who encountered the duo near Kangthilangso waterfall which led to the incident.

Police officials had earlier said that the victims had an altercation with Timung after which he made a call to the villagers.