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New Delhi: Assam’s Nagaon District and Sessions Court has given the final verdict in the Abhijit Nath-Nilotpal Das lynching case on Thursday. The court announced punishment, sentencing 20 convicts to life imprisonment and also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on each individual.

This ruling effectively concludes the legal proceedings for the 2018 case, holding 20 accused guilty while acquitting the remaining 25 due to lack of evidence. The verdict marked an end to an eight-year-long legal battle that followed one of Assam‘s most disturbing mob lynching incidents in the recent history.

A tragic case of mistaken identity

Earlier this week, the court convicted 20 out of 45 accused after evaluating the evidence and testimony. The incident traces back to June 8, 2018, when two young men from Guwahati, Abhijit Nath and Nilotpal Das, were mob lynched at Panjuri Kachari village.

The assault against the two was triggered after false rumours labelling them child kidnappers circulated on social media. The victims were attacked in public while they kept pleading for their lives and calling out that they were not guilty. he incident gained widespread attention after footage of the attack surfaced online, sparking massive protests and a state-wide demand for justice.

Legal struggle for justice

Later, police investigated the matter, invoking multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including charges of murder, rioting and unlawful assembly. However, the path to justice was not easy, as several witnesses stepped back from their statements.

Well, the court has still managed to deliver a verdict, ultimately finding 20 individuals culpable while the rest were set free due to lack of evidence. The acquitted ones have been released unless required to appear in any other pending case. While the acquittal of 25 individuals highlights the challenges of proving guilt in mob-related crimes, the life sentences for the primary accused offer a stern message against vigilante justice.