- The Nagaon Court sentenced 20 convicts to life imprisonment in the 2018 lynching case
- Each convict was fined Rs 20,000 in the Abhijit Nath-Nilotpal Das mob violence case
- 25 accused were acquitted due to lack of sufficient evidence after an eight-year trial
The Nagaon District and Sessions Court in Assam pronounced the final quantum of punishment in the Abhijit Nath-Nilotpal Das lynching case on Thursday, sentencing 20 convicts to life imprisonment and imposing a fine of Rs 20,000 on each. With this, the court sealed its final verdict in the 2018 case, holding 20 accused guilty while acquitting the remaining 25 due to lack of evidence.
The ruling marks the culmination of an eight-year-long legal battle that followed one of Assam's most disturbing mob violence incidents. Earlier this week, the same court had convicted 20 out of 45 accused after evaluating years of testimony and evidence.
The case traces back to June 8, 2018, when Abhijit Nath and Nilotpal Das, two young men from Guwahati, were lynched by a mob at Panjuri Kachari village in Karbi Anglong district. The assault was triggered by rumours circulating on social media that falsely labelled them as child kidnappers.
The victims were then attacked in full public view despite repeatedly pleading for their lives and clarifying their identities. The brutality gained wider attention after videos of the incident surfaced online, sparking protests and outrage across Assam.
Investigators later invoked multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including charges of murder, rioting, and unlawful assembly. However, the prosecution's path was not straightforward. Several witnesses turned hostile during the trial, weakening parts of the case and contributing to the acquittal of 25 accused.
While the court ultimately found 20 individuals culpable, it observed that allegations against the others could not be conclusively established. The acquitted have been ordered to be released unless required in other pending cases.
