Two more arrested in Assam lynching case

Two persons were arrested today for their alleged involvement with the lynching of two men in Assam's Karbi Anglong district last week, taking the number of people arrested in the murder case to 30, a police official said.

The Assam Police spokesperson identified the persons arrested today as Bubai Rabha and Bijay Swargiary.

Altogether 65 people have been arrested from various parts of Assam for killing Nilotpal Das (29) and Abhijeet Nath (30) and spreading rumours and hate messages on social media.

Of them, 30 have been arrested for killing the two men and the rest for spreading hate messages and rumours on social media.

On June 8, Das and Nath had gone to Kangthilangso waterfall in Karbi Anglong district. While returning, their vehicle was stopped at Panjuri Kachari by villagers, who pulled them out from the car and beat them for hours before killing them mistaking them for child-lifters.

The brutal killing was recorded by locals on their mobile phones and circulated on social media.

Earlier today, representatives of All Assam Students' Union and 28 other tribal organisations met Assam Director General of Police Kuladhar Saikia and discussed the issue.

The delegation demanded exemplary punishment for the culprits through a fast-track court and requested the police to make the process error-free so that they cannot escape the law through "loopholes of the legal system", an AASU release stated.

The group also requested the police department to sensitise people against superstition and ensure students from Karbi Anglong, studying across the state, are not victimised.

Yesterday, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal assured that the accused in the case would be tried in a fast-track court as per the demands of the people.

A team from Assam Human Rights Commission visited the site of the lynching and enquired about the incident.

Alfajoz Timung, the main accused who was out on bail in a murder case, was arrested yesterday. He had allegedly asked the villagers over the phone to stop the duo's vehicle and spread rumours of them being child-lifters.