Parents of lynching victims express dismay over acquittal of 25 accused

Guwahati: Parents of sound engineer Nilotpal Das and his businessman friend Abhijeet Nath, who were lynched in 2018 in Karbi Anglong by a mob suspecting them as child lifters, expressed their disappointment over the outcome of the legal battle. They said more than half of the accused have been acquitted by the trial court on Monday.

Nilotpal’s father Gopal Chandra Das told TOI, “We are not that happy as 25 accused have been acquitted and only 20 have been convicted by the Nagaon district and sessions’ judges court on Monday. We did not expect this outcome after a trial that lasted seven years and 10 months, with numerous arguments from both sides during the process.”

“We will be able to know about the punishment to be awarded to the convicts on April 24,” Das said.

He said he feels the necessity of certain amendments in the legal system. “There is no doubt that a few would get acquittal in the case. But, 25 out 45 accused being acquitted is disappointing. Many have been acquitted due to absence of direct witnesses. If that is the case then, many accused in serious offences will get acquittal in the absence of direct witness. So, I feel there is a necessity of certain amendments in the legal system,” he added.

Ajit Kumar Nath, father of Ahbijeet, also said the verdict pronounced by the local court was not as expected.

“We thought something different and the verdict was different. Let us wait and see now what punishment is awarded to the convicts on April 24,” he said.

He added that both Abhijeet and Nilotpal were close friends and both were music and nature lovers. “They went to Kangthilangso in Karbi Anglong to experience the beauty of the hills. They used to love trekking. How would they know their fate? We lost our sons,” he added.