Abhi–Neel lynching trial: Prosecution closes; defence arguments on Feb 26
Earlier, of the 12 eyewitnesses, eight of them turned hostile, stating that they had been tutored by police officials
A file image of the Nagaon District court. (Photo: courtrecruitment/website)
Guwahati, Feb 24: The trial in the Abhi-Neel mob lynching case has entered its final stage, with the prosecution submitting its closing arguments in the Court of the Sessions Judge, Nagaon.
While Ziaul Kamar, Special Public Prosecutor, appeared on behalf of the State on Monday, advocates BK Mahajan and NJ Das appeared for the de facto complainants.
In the course of trial, of the 12 eyewitnesses, eight of them turned hostile, stating that they had been tutored by police officials.
In this regard, the fathers of the deceased had lodged another FIR alleging that the witnesses were threatened not to depose before the court.
The said FIR was registered as Dokmoka PS Case No. 53/2019, which has been subsequently chargesheeted in 2024.
Mahajan, appearing for the complainants, argued that the evidence of hostile witnesses is not effaced from the record and that the portion of testimony which supports the prosecution case can be relied upon.
He further submitted that the witnesses who turned hostile had earlier given statements under Section 164 CrPC before a competent magistrate and never alleged before any authority that they were tutored by police officials.
According to him, the allegation of tutoring was made for the first time during their deposition before the court, which clearly indicates that the witnesses were threatened or won over by the accused persons- an issue forming the subject matter of Dokmoka PS Case No. 53/2019.
The matter is now fixed on February 26, 2026 for the opening arguments on behalf of the defence after which the date for pronouncement of final verdict would be fixed.
The mob lynching had taken place on June 8, 2018 when Neelotpal Das and Abhijit Nath were lynched by a mob at Dokmoka after a rumour spread that the two men were child abductors.
In connection with the aforesaid incident, two FIRs were lodged by the fathers of the deceased, and investigation of the case commenced vide Dokmoka PS case No. 33/2018, which was subsequently charge-sheeted against 48 accused persons, out of whom three were declared juveniles.
The trial of the case was transferred from the Court of the Sessions Judge, Karbi Anglong, Diphu, to the Court of the Sessions Judge, Nagaon, by the Gauhati High Court.