Guwahati: In a major development in the 2018 Abhijit–Nilotpal mob lynching case, a sessions court in Assam’s Nagaon district on Monday convicted 20 persons and acquitted 25 others after a prolonged trial.
The verdict was pronounced by the Nagaon Sessions Court in connection with the killing of Abhijit Nath and Nilotpal Das.
The two youths were attacked by a mob on June 8, 2018, at Panjuri village under Dokmoka police station in Karbi Anglong district after being mistaken for child lifters amid rumours that had spread rapidly in the area.
The incident had sent shockwaves across Assam and sparked a debate over the dangers of misinformation and mob violence.
The court is scheduled to pronounce the quantum of sentence on April 24.
The charge sheet in the case was filed in 2024, following which the trial was shifted from Diphu to the Nagaon Sessions Court on the directions of the Gauhati High Court.
Senior advocate Bijon Mahajan represented the families of the victims, while advocate Manas Sarania led the defence for the accused.
Ziaul Kamar was appointed as the Special Public Prosecutor by the government to conduct the case.