JORHAT, May 31 - Five persons were arrested and a magisterial enquiry ordered by the Jorhat district administration today following lynching of a youth by workers at Gabroo Purbat Tea Estate at Mariani near the Assam-Nagaland border late on Friday afternoon. The youth succumbed to his injuries at the JMCH on Saturday night.
Debashish Gogoi (22) of Milgaon, Puthinadi, Mariani and his friend Aditya Das (23) of Deberapar Chariali, were allegedly beaten up by the tea estate workers under Deberapar police outpost on Friday evening.
Debashish was brought to the JMCH in an unconscious state from the tea garden. Aditya too received treatment at the JMCH for injuries that he sustained.
According to police, five men from the said garden have been arrested and investigation into the incident was on. More people who were allegedly involved in the severe physical assault on the two youths are likely to be arrested.
The arrested persons are Ashok Sawra, Asif Nayak, Sachin Sawra and Radheshyam Kurmi (workers) and Dipak Chabra (chowkidar).
Jorhat Superintendent of Police Mrinal Talukdar told The Assam Tribune this evening that as per preliminary investigation, 9 youths on three scooties and a motorcycle had gone inside the said tea estate reportedly for an outing and tried to enter the area having 28 hillocks (within the garden) and entered into an altercation and then scuffle with the chowkidar for reportedly refusing to open the locks of the gate of the area. The chowkidar was under orders of the manager not to allow anyone to the said place during the lockdown period.
Talukdar said as the garden manager came to know about the incident, he sent an assistant manager to the spot and following intervention of the assistant manager the matter was resolved and the youths reportedly agreed to return from the area.
However, as they returned, Debashish and Aditya, who were behind the others of the group, allegedly hit three persons, including 2 women, near the garden factory and caused serious injuries to them requiring hospitalisation, the SP informed.
Following physical assault on the said three persons, a mob gathered at the site and beat up Debashish and Aditya, which resulted in Debashish sustaining grevious injuries requiring hospitalisation. Debashish succumbed to his injuries last night.
As to whether the youths were intoxicated, the SP said the post mortem report, which is still awaited, will mention the causes responsible for the untimely death.
The SP said investigation was moving ahead and all those found to be involved will be arrested.
Meanwhile, the father of Debashish told newspersons today that after coming to know that his son �met with an accident,� he along with his daughter rushed to the site and saw his son being brutally assaulted, but was not allowed by the mob to come out of his car for a long time to take his son for treatment.
�We begged for mercy, but the mob kept beating my son and his friend� the father stated. Later, police arrived and rushed the duo to a local hospital which referred them to the JMCH, he added.
Demanding justice for his son�s killing, the father on Saturday night lodged an FIR at Deberapar police outpost after which a case was registered at Mariani Police Station.
Meanwhile, Jorhat Deputy Commissioner Roshni A Korati has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident and has directed Additional Deputy Commissioner Biswajit Phukan to conduct the probe to find out the circumstances leading to the incident.
She said that appeals have been made by the district administration to all concerned to maintain peace and harmony. The situation is under control, the Deputy Commissioner added.
It may be mentioned here that a doctor of Teok Tea Estate under Teok Police Station in Jorhat district, Dr Deben Dutta (73) on August 31, 2019 was killed following a brutal physical assault by a mob at the garden hospital following which there were protests and nationwide uproar by the medical fraternity and the civil society. Altogether, 32 people were arrested in connection with the case.
