Assam Karbi Anglong lynching: Protest in Guwahati takes violent turn; 23 arrested

In a chilling incident of mob-lynching, scores of agitated villagers beat two Guwahati-based youths to death in Assam's Karbi Anglong district on Friday night.

The dreadful mob-lynching of Nilotpal Das (29) and Abhijeet Nath (30) gave birth to a public protest, which turned violent in the city's Commerce College point on Sunday evening.

The protests started at about 4 pm on Sunday and witnessed a group of angry students, who were shouting slogans like - "We want justice", "Karbi Anglong shame on you" and holding up placards.

With a few miscreants pelting stones, bricks and water bottles from the back, the protest took a violent turn around 6 pm leaving six police personnel injured at the spot.

In the wake of this massive clash, the Guwahati police has decided not to allow any demonstration or procession from Monday without prior permission from their office.

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Meanwhile, police have arrested three more persons in connection to the dreadful lynching on Monday. The Guwahati police have so far taken 23 persons in custody while arrested 13 other persons for posting hate messages and objectionable posts on social media in different districts of the state.

The arrested persons have been booked under Section 302/34 of IPC, and the interrogation process is underway.

DGP Kuladhar Saikia and Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal also appealed to the people not to get swayed by rumours on social media and immediately inform police if they come across such posts.

Nilotpal Das and Abhijeet Nath on Friday went to the picnic spot of Kangthilangso in Karbi Anglong and while returning, their vehicle was stopped at Panjuri. A group of villagers pulled them out and lynched them on the suspicion of being child lifters.

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Both Das and Nath, according to a video circulated on social media, pleaded that they were not child lifters, but were visiting Karbi Anglong district.

The state police along with Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Mukesh Agarwala is, however, monitoring the case.