GUWAHATI: Expressing concern over the death of a Garo wage labourer in a mob lynching incident in Assam’s Goalpara district, the A’chik Holistic Awakening Movement (AHAM) Assam State Zone on Thursday demanded Assam government compensate the family of the victim and give them justice.
An unruly mob killed Sengseng Marak who belongs to A’chik (Garo Tribe) suspecting him to be a thief.
Sengseng Marak son of Promison Sangma a permanent resident of Bapupara, Balijana, who along with his wife Styapati Barman resides in the house of one retired police personnel in Solmari.
On July 24 at around 9 pm, the victim went out of the house towards the local shopkeeper with the intent to purchase a tobacco packet. But the victim did not return to the house and as such victim’s wife went out in search of her husband at around 7 a.m. and to her surprise she shockingly found her husband tied to an electric pole on a roadside of Kalyanpur Bangali Basti under Solmari of Agia Police Station.
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The victim was repeatedly beaten mercilessly with iron and caused injuries by sharp-edged objects on the victim’s neck and other vital parts of bodies and rub packet of salts into the wound to aggravate his condition.
On seeing such conditions victim’s wife pleaded with them to stop the assault on the unruly mob and the persons who were present in that concerned village but no one paid any heed.
The unruly mob and surrounding persons went on beating the victim and unfortunately, the victim died in agony.
“This is a very sensitive matter and a case of public persecution based on rumours and false accusations and unprecedented acts of cruelty and atrocities on human rights. Hence people involved in the incident and person who administer public killing or stand as a ringmaster of mob justice happening there should be booked,” AHAM Assam State Zone president GM Sangma said in a statement here on Thursday.
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“We also further demand that proving and handling of such incidents should be from the ASP rank officer. In addition, we would like to put on record that the victim was a daily labourer, as he was the sole bread-earner of the family. Therefore, the district administration must compensate immediately to the next kin of the victim considering pathetic plight and financial hardship,” Sangma said.
“Given the above circumstances, we urge the authority concerned and the state government to ensure justice be delivered to the victim’s family members by taking stringent actions against the person involved in the mob lynching and provide such relief and compensation to the victim’s next of kin ,” he added.
Goalapara additional superintendent of police (crime branch) Ritutaj Doley said: “13 people have been arrested in connection with the killing.”
A Garo youth Sengseng Marak (40), who went out from his house to buy tobacco was caught by a group of people and tortured for the whole night tying him in an electric pole leading to his death.
“Based on video footage, we identified all the persons involved in the incident. We are taking prompt action against the” Doley also said.
A case vide number 115/23 was registered at Agia police station under section 120(B)/343/302 of IPC.