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Bijay Sankar Bora
Tribune News Service
Guwahati, June 10
Two friends — Nilotpol Das (29) and Abhijit Nath (30) — both were well-educated and established in their professional life. Nilotpol, a B.Com from Delhi University who later became a sound engineer responding to the call of his passion for music, was running an event management business in Goa, besides pursuing his career in music.
Abhijit was an engineering graduate from SRM University in Chennai and doing business in Guwahati as his mother didn’t want her only son to take up jobs outside the state. He had a passion for collection of ornamental fish and pet dogs. Nilotpol had come home from Goa on April 24, taking a break from his work and looking to replenish his treasure trove of natural melodious sounds.
On Friday morning at around 10 am, both the friends started their journey to the lap of nature in Karbi Anglong hill district of Assam. Nilotpol was in search of melodious natural sounds to be recorded and Abhijit was looking forward to collecting rare ornamental fish species from the water bodies amid the blue hills.
The enthusiastic and enterprising young duo did not know what the fate had in store for them in the picturesque natural setting of Karbi Anglong. On their return from Kansi Langso waterfalls, they were accosted and lynched by a mob at Panjuri on suspicion of being child lifters, thanks to rumours being circulated on the social media about child lifters being on the prowl in the state.
Abhijit’s father, Ajit Kumar Nath, an officer in the State Agriculture Department, said: “I have been rendered speechless. He was my only son, how could such a tragedy befall us. I have not been able to inform my ailing wife that our only son is no more.”
One of Abhijit’s cousins said Abhijit had called around 7 pm to inform that they were returning home. At 8 pm, one of his friends called on his mobile number but a stranger picked up the phone and said: “We have killed them, read tomorrow’s newspapers.” That call alerted the family and all hell broke loose.
“I don’t want to live anymore after my youngest and talented son has met such a dreadful fate. I have nothing to lose and expect from my life anymore,” said Gopal Chandra Das, retired audit officer of Northeast Frontier Railway here.
“I have told Nilotpol that they should go in a bigger group of 5-6 boys to Karbi Anglong instead of only him and Abhijit. But he assured us that we should not worry and they would be back same day. But now see what has happened to us,” said the grief-stricken father. Both the elder siblings of Nilotpol work outside the state.
The Assam Police have arrested 16 persons in connection with the lynching at Panjuri village even as alert has been sounded against rumour mongering on social media.
Director General of Police Kuladhar Saikia said 15 of the arrested persons were directly involved in lynching of the two youths while one was arrested for resorting to rumour mongering on social media.
ADGP (Law and order) Mukesh Agarwal, who rushed to Dokomoka on Saturday to oversee the investigation, said more arrests were likely and the situation in the area was under control.
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