The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) has demanded a judicial enquiry into the alleged lynching of Debashish Gogoi near Mariani in upper Assam’s Jorhat district.
The party also demanded that a special law be enacted in the state for all lynching cases.
Opposition leader Devabrata Saikia said he, Mariani MLA Rupjyoti Kurmi and former Jorhat MLA Rana Gioswami had met the deputy commissioner on Thursday and that the Congress Committee had expressed concern over the incident which had stoked the flames of sectarian conflict.
“This disharmony among the people should be kept under control by the district administration and not allowed to go out of hand,” he said.
Saikia said that this incident should not bring a division in society on sectarian lines.
Saikia said the Congress had demanded that a judicial probe be instituted by the government and that the findings be made public at the earliest to allay the misgivings of the people.
“In 2018 chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal had said that lynching would be dealt with harshly and the Supreme Court had directed that states should enact ordinances in this connection, given the frequency of such incidents. Manipur has already enacted such a law and Assam should also do the same,” he further said.
Saikia said that exemplary punishment be given to the guilty.
Jorhat DC Jorhat Roshni A Korati informed that the government has decided that the case will be tried in a fast track court.
She further said that Rs 2 lakh will be given as compensation to the family of Debashish and Rs 25000 to four youths, who were injured in the incident.
Debashish’s friend Aditya Das and three tea garden workers–Aisony Kondho, Raju Badia and Sunita Kurmi, were injured in the incident.
They are currently undergoing treatment at Jorhat Medical College Hospital (JMCH).
Korati said that the decision to give the compensations was made after discussion with Rajya Sabha MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa, Jorhat Lok Sabha MP Topon Gogoi, Mariani MLA Rupjyoti Kurmi, ATTSA, ATASU, and others in a meeting held on Wednesday evening.
A total of 10 accused persons have been arrested in the case till now.
24-year-old Debashish Gogoi, along with a friend Aditya Das, 23, of Deberapar Chariali, was allegedly beaten up by workers of Gabroo Purbat Tea Estate under Deberapar police outpost near the Assam-agaland border on Friday evening.
Debashish succumbed to his injuries at Jorhat Medical College and Hospital on Saturday evening where he was brought in an unconscious state on Saturday evening.
Debashish, Aditya and seven others had gone to the tea estate on three scootys and one motorcycle for an outing.
On the way back the scooty which was reportedly being driven by Aditya with Debashish riding pillion hit three tea workers including two women, one of who was badly injured in her leg and was hospitalized.
As per reports, a section of irate tea workers, returning from work, allegedly beat up both Aditya and Debashish, which later resulted in the latter’s death in hospital the next day.