A special court in Assam’s Nagaon district on Monday convicted 20 of the 45 accused in the 2018 Abhi-Nil mob lynching case, in which two men were killed in Karbi Anglong district amid rumors that they were child kidnappers.
The remaining 25 defendants were acquitted due to lack of evidence, according to people familiar with the matter.
According to police, the incident took place in Dokmuka area on June 8, 2018, when the two men from Guwahati — Abhijit Nath (30), an engineering graduate and businessman, and Nilopal Das (29), a musician — had traveled to Karbi Anglong for fishing and were returning. After rumors spread, an armed crowd intercepted the car in which the two men were traveling, dragged them outside, and assaulted them to death.
Videos of the incident later appeared on social media, sparking national outrage and demands for justice.
However, the defense said the incident occurred in an atmosphere of panic caused by misinformation.
Assam Police arrested 48 people, including three juveniles. An indictment was subsequently filed against 45 of the accused, while the juveniles were dealt with separately under the juvenile justice system. The final indictment in the case will be filed in 2024.
The court will pronounce the ruling on April 24. The families of the victims were represented in court by senior advocate Bijon Mahajan, while advocate Manas Saranya appeared for the defence.
The state appointed Dhia Qamar as a special prosecutor in the case.
Senior advocate Ziawul Qamar said the court convicted the accused under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 302 (culpable homicide), 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly), 186 (obstructing a public servant in the performance of his duty) and 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from discharging his duty).
However, some other charges initially brought by the police were not upheld by the court.
Nath’s family expressed their dissatisfaction with the acquittal of the 25 accused, and described the lack of evidence as unfortunate.
“Everyone who participated in this brutal act should have been punished,” they said after the ruling.
