Assam court convicts 20 in 2018 mob lynching case; sentence to be announced April 24

After the conviction, the court will pronounce the sentence on April 24.

A special court in Assam’s Nagaon district on Monday convicted 20 of the 45 accused in the 2018 Abhi-Neel mob lynching case, in which two men were killed in the Karbi Anglong district amid rumors that they were child abductors.

The remaining 25 accused were acquitted due to a lack of evidence, according to people aware of the matter. (Representational)

The remaining 25 accused were acquitted due to a lack of evidence, according to people aware of the matter.

According to police, the incident took place in the Dokmoka area on June 8, 2018, when the two men from Guwahati — Abhijit Nath (30), an engineering graduate and businessman, and Nilotpal Das (29), a musician — had travelled to Karbi Anglong for fishing and were returning. Following the spread of rumors, an armed mob intercepted the vehicle the two men were travelling in, dragged them out, and assaulted them to death.

Videos of the incident later surfaced on social media, triggering nationwide outrage and demand for justice.

The defence, however, argued that the incident took place in a climate of panic triggered by misinformation.

Assam Police had arrested 48 people, including three juveniles. A charge sheet was subsequently filed against 45 of the accused, while the juveniles were dealt with separately under the juvenile justice system. The final charge sheet in the case was submitted in 2024.

The court will pronounce the sentence on April 24. The victims’ families were represented in court by senior advocate Bijon Mahajan, while advocate Manas Sarania appeared for the defence.

The state appointed Ziaul Kamar as the special public prosecutor in the case.

Senior advocate Ziaul Kamar said the court convicted the accused under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 302 (murder), 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly), 186 (obstructing a public servant in the discharge of duty), and 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from duty).

However, some other charges initially framed by the police were not upheld by the court.

Nath’s family expressed dissatisfaction with the acquittal of the 25 accused, calling the lack of evidence unfortunate.

“Everyone involved in this act of brutality should have been punished,” they said after the verdict.