In Assam Village, Guwahati Youths Lynched For ‘Looking Suspicious’

The two were allegedly suspected to be child-lifters due to rumours circulating on social media.

Image used for representational purpose.

(Photo: The Quint)

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In yet another case of mob violence, two young men from Guwahati were lynched in Dokmoka in West Karbi Anglong district of Assam on Friday, 8 June, allegedly because they were suspected to be “child lifters”. This comes in the context of many rumours of a child-lifting gang operating in the area.

The victims – Abhijeet Nath and Nilotpal Das – both in their thirties, had gone for a short vacation from Guwahati to the picnic spot Kangthilangso in Karbi Anglong. Abhijeet was a businessman based in Mumbai and Nilotpal was a sound engineer.

Nilotpal Das.

Abhijeet Nath.

According to the police, the two were returning to Guwahati when their black Scorpio was intercepted by a mob on Friday, 8 June. The locals thought the two men “looked suspicious” and therefore gheraoed them, suspecting them to be child-lifters. When the two youth tried to “escape”, the locals started physically assaulting them.

The police were informed of the incident about 40 minutes after it happened. By the time they reached the spot, the mob had dispersed. The duo succumbed to their injuries on their way to a public health centre.

In chilling videos that are doing the rounds on social media, the locals can be seen mercilessly beating the two with sticks. In one of the videos, Nilotpal Basu can also be seen pleading for his life, stating over and over again that he is an Assamese.

The visuals have sent shockwaves across Assam as citizens have taken to social media to seek justice.

The state government has ordered a probe into the incident, but no arrests have been made yet. The police have launched a massive search operation to nab the culprits on the basis of the video.

The district administration authorities are camping in the area and holding talks with the villagers.

Meanwhile, the leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly, Debabrata Saikia condemned the lynching and called it yet another instance of the state government's "utter failure" to maintain law and order.

Saikia also demanded a judicial enquiry into the incident

(With inputs from PTI)