A CORRESPONDENT
JORHAT: Amidst a public outrage, police on Tuesday produced 12 accused in the Animesh Bhuyan mob lynching incident before the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM). The court remanded seven accused to five days of police custody while the others were remanded to judicial custody. Neeraj Das alias Kola – the main accused– will be produced in court on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has directed Special Director General of Police (DGP), GP Singh, to personally supervise the investigation process and to submit a charge sheet within a month. He condoled the demise of Animesh Bhuyan and condemned the incident.
"Such an incident is very unfortunate and the government in power will never tolerate such an incident and those culprits involved in the incident will be tried in the fast-track court to hand them exemplary punishment," said the Chief Minister.
On the other hand, thousands of people gathered in front of the Deputy Commissioner's office today in response to a call for a mass protest by the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) against the mob lynching of AASU leader Animesh Bhuyan in Jorhat on Monday. The town wore a deserted look as shops voluntarily downed shutters and only few public vehicles were seen on the road.
The Jorhat district administration, especially the police, was slammed for lapses in security and for not being able to prevent the incident which occurred in the middle of the town in broad daylight. A call was made for the case to be tried in a fast track court. The 13 persons arrested by police in this connection were booked under Sections 147, 148, 149, 326, 327 and 302 IPC.
Those remanded to police custody are Mohan Das, Sanju Das, Sironjib Das, Horu Lora Das, Bitupan Das, Montu Das and Chintu Das. Those who were sent to judicial custody are Akoni Das, Bikram Das, Subhash Dutta, and Avinash Bora.
Members of different organizations, including Upper Assam Chambers of Commerce, and college students participated in the protest which lasted for three hours from 10.30 am till 1.30 pm. A large portrait of Animesh Bhuyan was placed at the site where people paid floral tributes to the deceased.
AASU advisor Dr Samujjal Bhattacharyya, AASU president Dipanka Nath and AASU general secretary Sankor Jyoti Baruah, en route to Jorhat, visited the house of Animesh at Dergaon and offered condolences to the bereaved family. Dr Bhattacharyya, while calling for the case to be tried in a fast track court, said that all the accused should be rounded up after identification, police should make a water-tight case so that the culprits do not go free and exemplary punishment should be meted out to them.
While lambasting the poor security arrangements in Jorhat, he said that the district administration should ensure that CCTV cameras should be made functional as it was due to this huge lapse that such an incident could take place. He further asked the police to round up all drug peddlers as they had received information that a few of the accused were drug peddlers
Condemning the brutal murder of Animesh, Dr Bhattacharyya said that there was a massive security lapse and a total failure of what the State Government boasted as smart policing.
The AASU later submitted a memorandum to the government through the Deputy Commissioner of Jorhat.
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