Dhemaji court delivers death penalty to accused in Nandita Saikia murder case

Dhemaji, August 21: The Dhemaji District and Sessions Court, on Thursday, sentenced Rintu Sarma to death for the brutal murder of college student Nandita Saikia, who was killed four years ago after rejecting his marriage proposal.

Judge Ajay Faglu delivered the verdict a day after Sarma was convicted for the 2021 attack that had shocked the state.

Nandita’s father expressed relief at the judgment. “We waited four years for this moment. I am satisfied with the court’s decision. This should serve as an example so no one dares commit such an act again. I only hope the higher courts uphold this verdict,” he said.

The deceased’s friend and survivor of the attack, Kashmina Dutta, said the ruling brought some closure.

“I was with Nandita that day when we were attacked. The memory will never fade, but today we feel justice has finally been served. We lost Nandita forever, but at least we can say her fight for justice was not in vain. The judgment gives us courage to move forward,” she said.

Welcoming the verdict, the victim’s lawyer said the court has rightly awarded the death sentence given the brutal nature of the murder.

“Nandita was killed mercilessly in broad daylight. This was not just a crime against her but against society. Such brutality demands the harshest punishment, and the court has rightly awarded the death sentence,” he said.

On August 21, 2021, Nandita, a student of Dhemaji College, was returning home with her friend Dutta and her friend’s father, Deva Dutta, when Sarma — a fourth-grade employee at the same college — launched a machete attack in the heart of Dhemaji town. Nandita was stabbed multiple times, while the other two sustained serious injuries.

She was initially admitted to a local hospital and later shifted to Dibrugarh, where she succumbed to her injuries five days later.