Assam: Dhubri court awards 10 years jail term to man for attempted murder

Dhubri, June 30: In a significant judgment, the District and Sessions Judge of Dhubri, Paban Chandra Kalita, has sentenced Mahadev Dutta to 10 years of imprisonment for attempting to murder two individuals during a cattle smuggling incident.

The verdict was delivered on Saturday, bringing a sense of closure to a case that has spanned nearly nine years.

Mahadev Dutta, son of Gofu Dutta, was found guilty of attempting to smuggle cattle heads across a PWD road in South Tokrachora Part-IV area towards Bangladesh on the night of September 18, 2015. The illegal activity was noticed by locals Chandan Ghosh and Raju Ghosh, who attempted to stop Dutta. In a violent response, Dutta assaulted them with a machete. Raju Ghosh sustained a major hand injury, while Chandan Ghosh's neck was severely slashed.

The horrific incident was reported to the Golakganj Police Station on September 19, 2015, by Tina Ghosh, wife of Chandan Ghosh. The police investigation led to the identification and arrest of Mahadev Dutta, who was charged with attempted murder and other related offences.

Public Prosecutor Harmohan Das stated that the case was prosecuted under Sessions Case No. 186/2018 at the Dhubri Court. After a thorough examination of the evidence, Judge Kalita found Dutta guilty and sentenced him under sections 324, 326, and 307 of the Indian Penal Code.

He is convicted with rigorous imprisonment for two years and to pay a fine of Rs. 2,000, in default to suffer rigorous imprisonment for another one month U/S 324 of IPC, and also sentenced to suffer rigorous imprisonment for seven years and to pay a fine of Rs. 6,000, in default to suffer rigorous imprisonment for another four months U/S 326 of IPC, and also sentenced to suffer rigorous imprisonment for ten years and to pay a fine of Rs. 8,000, in default to suffer rigorous imprisonment for another five months U/S 307 of IPC, all three sentences are to run concurrently.

The victim's family, who had been waiting for justice for over eight years, expressed relief and satisfaction at the verdict. Tragically, Chandan Ghosh passed away on February 29, 2024, due to the severe injuries he sustained during the attack, despite years of medical treatment in Delhi, Guwahati, and Dhubri.