Assam lynching case: Prime accused arrested, say police
Police on Wednesday morning arrested the prime accused in the lynching of two men in Assam, news agency PTI reported. The suspect was arrested from Karbi Anglong district in Assam. The report also stated that the total number of arrests in connection with the lynching of the two men and spreading hate messages and rumours has risen to 64.
Superintendent of Police S P Ganjala said that the accused, Joz Timung alias ‘Alpha’, was arrested from Belurghat area, which falls under the jurisdiction of the same Dokmoka Police Station where the incident had taken place. The SP further said that the accused, a resident of Kangthilangso village, was allegedly involved in asking the villagers to stop the vehicle carrying the two men and spreading rumours that they were child lifters.
Last week, Nilotpal Das (29) and Abhijeet Nath (30) were pulled out of their vehicle at Panjuri in Karbi Anglong district and beaten to death by a mob of angry villagers, believing them to be child-lifters.
A sum of Rs five lakh has been announced by Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) to the parents of the two deceased men. KAAC Chief Executive Member (CEM) Tuliram Ronghang has also raised a proposal to install their statues at the place where they were lynched. The council had held a meeting with media, government officials and prominent citizens at Diphu on Tuesday evening, condemning the incident.
Ronghang said Karbis are a part and parcel of Assam and many tribal and non-tribals live in Karbi Anglong autonomous area, forming a greater Assamese society. The Karbi Students’ Association (KSA) and Karbi Sahitya Sabha, which met here under the aegis of the Asam Sahitya Sabha in Guwahati yesterday, have condemned the lynching.
