Nagaon: The Court of the District and Sessions Judge, Nagaon, today sentenced 20 convicted persons to life imprisonment in connection with the murder of Abhijit Nath and Nilotpal Das. In addition, the court imposed a fine of ₹20,000 each on the convicts (Abhi–Nil Murder Case Verdict).
According to the judgment, the 20 individuals were convicted under Sections 302/149 of the Indian Penal Code and sentenced accordingly. The convicts are: Biswa Ram Swargiary, Pantheng Basumatary, Elfajoj Timung, Inchen Engti, Raikom Timung, Ratneswar Terang, Phukan Lekhate, Ench Timung, Press Timung, Rupsing Kro, Dhan Mech, Babu Singh Kro, Bikram Hanse, Chikari Rongpi, Babu Rongpi, Vidyasing Rongpi, Mensing Kro, Dipjyoti Basumatary, Wares Rongpi, and Onda Mech.
Along with life imprisonment, the court also awarded additional concurrent sentences of 6 months, 3 months, 1 year, and 2 years under different sections.
It may be noted that on April 20, the District and Sessions Judge’s Court in Nagaon had delivered the final verdict in the case, with only a few months remaining to complete eight full years since the incident. Out of 45 accused, 25 were acquitted, while 20 were convicted under IPC Sections 143, 147, 302/149, 186/149, and 332/149. However, the punishment was not announced on that day. Today, the court declared life imprisonment for the convicted individuals.
What the lawyers of both sides said
Following the verdict, defence counsel Manas Saraniya expressed dissatisfaction and told reporters that they would challenge the judgment in the High Court.
He stated that there was no sufficient basis for applying Section 302 against the accused. According to him, the convicted persons had no intention to kill Abhi and Nil. Therefore, they would request the court to apply Section 304 Part II instead of Section 302.
He also said they would seek bail for the convicted individuals in the High Court, noting that they have already spent nearly eight years in custody.
Saraniya further claimed that although a stone was allegedly recovered from Rupsing Kro, this was not properly proven, and no conclusive test established whether the blood on the stone belonged to the victims. He also alleged that police had intimidated several witnesses into giving statements.
According to him, among the 20 convicted persons, 13 are innocent, while the remaining 7 were present at the scene but had no intention to commit murder. He further stated that based on the grounds of the 25 acquitted persons, they would also file a case against the police.
On the other hand, Public Prosecutor Jiaul Kamar said: “We had sought the death penalty for the convicts. However, the court observed that this is not a rarest-of-rare case and awarded life imprisonment instead.” He also expressed dissatisfaction with the verdict.
Dissatisfaction of the victims’ fathers
The fathers of Abhijit Nath and Nilotpal Das also expressed dissatisfaction with the judgment. They stated that the court awarded the same punishment to all convicts, whereas they had expected capital punishment for the main conspirators who instigated others.
They said the prosecution had specifically demanded the death penalty for Elfajoj Timung and Rupsing Kro, but the court sentenced them to life imprisonment along with the others.
According to them, these two played a key role in mobilizing the mob, and Nilotpal Das was struck on the head with a large stone.
What had happened
It may be recalled that on June 8, 2018, in Panjuri village under Dokmoka Police Station in Karbi Anglong district, a mob brutally lynched two spirited, nature-loving young men from Guwahati — Nilotpal Das and Abhijit Nath.
The trial in this case had been ongoing in the Nagaon court since September 4, 2018. Today, the court delivered its final sentencing, awarding life imprisonment to 20 convicted persons in the Abhi–Nil murder case.