A Rumour, a Lynching and a Long Wait for Justice

One summer afternoon in 2018, two men set out on a road trip into the Karbi Anglong region of India's northeastern Assam state. They never came back.

Abhijeet Nath, a 30-year-old businessman, and Nilotpal Das, a 29-year-old musician, were driving from the city of Guwahati. By evening, their journey had taken them to a village, where they were surrounded by a mob that suspected them of being "child kidnappers" and beaten to death.

The case drew national attention - not only for its brutality, but because it reflected a wider pattern of violence emerging at the time. Across parts of India, rumours about child-abduction gangs were spreading rapidly through WhatsApp messages and viral videos, fuelling suspicion of strangers and, in some cases, mob attacks.

Nearly eight years later, the lynching is back in the headlines after a court in Assam convicted 20 people, finding them guilty of murder and participation in an unlawful assembly, while acquitting 25 others for lack of evidence "beyond reasonable doubt". The sentencing is on Friday.

Those convicted have denied the allegations. They have the option to appeal against the verdict in a higher court.

In its order, the sessions court said: "This is not a simple case of murder. The involvement of [the] entire locality is established from the evidence on record."

But for the victims' families, the ruling has fallen short of their expectations of justice, with the acquittal of more than half of the accused being a key concern.

Das's father, Gopal Das, told reporters the family was "not satisfied", adding that they would consult with their lawyer on possible next steps and that they sought the strictest punishment for those convicted.

Nath's family has expressed similar concerns, saying they were considering legal options over the acquittals and hoped for government support.

The judgment, passed on Monday, uses witness statements and police evidence to describe what happened that June evening in 2018.

According to witnesses, a "hue and cry" drew villagers to the spot where Nath and Das were being held. The court records a crowd of around 150-200 people, with at least 50 directly participating in the attack using sticks and other weapons, which led to the deaths.

The judgment does not establish a clear reason for why the men were travelling to Karbi Anglong, around 180km (112 miles) from their homes in Guwahati. But their parents told the court that the two were keen travellers who often explored places together.

Police said they believed the men stopped in Panjuri Kachari village, where they were killed, to ask for directions. A rumour that the men were child abductors spread in the area, drawing a crowd, according to court documents.

The families learnt of the killings after Nath's father tried calling his son.

A stranger answered and told him Nath had been killed and that the news would soon appear on television, according to witness statements. The families set out for Karbi Anglong soon after.

- Author: Abhishek Dey, BBC

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