Guwahati, Dec 24: Every year on June 8, Abhijit Nath and Nilotpal Das are remembered by their close and loved ones who pay tributes to the departed souls mercilessly killed in mob lynching.
Mob lynching is a form of violence in which a mob (a group of people), under the pretext of administering justice, thrashes and executes a presumed offender. Several people learned about the term during the 2018 Abhi-Nil mob lynching incident, where the duo, Abhijit Nath and Nilotpal Das, suspected to be child lifters were mercilessly killed in Panjuri under the jurisdiction of Dokmoka Police Station in Karbi Anglong.
The screams of the duo pleading in front of their killers still echo in the hearts of several people.
Since then, the parents of the victims are still awaiting for their justice and now, with the newly proposed criminal laws, they have finally found a ray of hope.
Speaking to The Assam Tribune, father of Abhijit Nath said, “My son was killed mercilessly despite his attempts to prove he was innocent. I would be happy if this law is implemented and the accused persons were rewarded with a death sentence, however, it still depends on the court.”
In a significant development during the winter season, both the Houses passed three criminal bills- Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita and Bharatiya Saksha (Second) Bill, aimed to replace the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872.
Under the new criminal law, the centre included the provision of serving death penalty for mob lynching.
Furthermore, the new criminal bills introduced will ensure the end of the ‘tareekh pe tareekh’ era so that justice is delivered within a short period of time.
According to the new bills, police will have to register an FIR within three days of the complaint and in cases involving a punishment of three to seven years, the FIR will have to be lodged after a preliminary investigation.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah informed that after the bills become laws, the time limit for filing the charge sheet will be 90 days and following this, the investigation can be conducted only for another 90 days. The magistrate will have to take cognizance of the case within 14 days and then action will start. Moreover, the request for acquittal by the accused will also have to be made within 60 days.
He further said that the judge will have to give his decision within 45 days of the end of the case. Along with this, there will be only seven days between decision and punishment.
Speaking on this, father of Nilotpal Das, who has been waiting for their son’s justice for more than five years, said, “There are several cases that have been pending in the courts for maybe 20-25 years or more. This lengthy process of delivering justice has become tiresome. I hope after the bill becomes a law, justice will be delivered within a limited amount of time.”
It is learned that the statements of witnesses have been recorded in the court and the case is moving forward to argument and other legal proceedings. Abhijit’s father said, “It should not take long before our sons get justice.”