2013 Jhankar Saikia Mob Lynching happened in Diphu town, Karbi Anglong district, Assam, in India on 25 June 2013 when Diphu College student Jhankar Saikia and his father, Haren Saikia, refused to pay an auto-rickshaw fare of Rs. 30, when the regular fare was Rs. 20, and were attacked by a mob as a result.
| 2013 Jhankar Saikia mob lynching | |
|---|---|
| Location | Diphu, Karbi Anglong district, Assam, India |
| Coordinates | 25°50′47″N 93°25′48″E / 25.8465°N 93.4299°E |
| Date | June 25, 2013 |
Attack type | Lynching |
| Deaths | 1 |
| Injured | Haren Saikia |
| Victims | Jhankar Saikia |
| Perpetrators | est. 50 people |
| Inquiry | CID, Assam Police |
| Accused | 19 people |
| Convicted | 12 people |
| Convictions | Life imprisonment |
Incident
editIn that incident, Diphu College student Jhankar Saikia and his father Haren Saikia were attacked by a group after they refused to pay the demanded fare of Rs. 30 to the auto-rickshaw driver they hired, where the regular fare was Rs. 20. Local eyewitnesses said to reporters that, at the time of the incident, there were policemen on duty, but the policemen didn't try to stop the mob. Jhankar died in hospital on 1 July.[1][2]
Case registered
editAfter Jhankar's death, a case was registered (Case no 95 of 2013, Diphu police station) under Sections 294 (punishment for annoying others with obscene act, songs, reciting, or uttering any obscene song, ballad or words, in or near any public place), 325 (punishment for voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 307 (punishment for attempt to murder), 109 (punishment for abetment), 147 (punishment for rioting), 148 (punishment for rioting and armed with deadly weapon), 149 (punishment for unlawful assembly in prosecution of the common object), 337 (punishment for causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), 338 (punishment for causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), 302 (murder) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.[3][4]
Delays
editAs the trial of the case was not started for 5 years, Jhankar's father started a Facebook campaign to demand justice and criticized the government for the delayed trial.[5] Bhaskar Dev Konwar, an advocate, filed a Public Interest Litigation in the Gauhati High Court seeking an official inquiry into Jhankar's killing.[6] Following this, the case was handed to the Criminal Investigation Department.[7] The Gauhati High Court also issued notice to the Assam government for the delayed investigation.[8]
Trial
editThe trial commenced in 2018[9] with charges filed against 19 people.
Sentencing
editAt the end of the trial, 12 of the accused were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment, 2 had absconded, 1 was tried in juvenile court, and 4 were acquitted. [10][11]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Nath, Hemanta Kumar (28 February 2020). "Assam court awards life imprisonment to 12 accused in 2013 Jhankar Saikia mob lynching case". India Today. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
- ^ Gohain, Hiren (2014). "A Note on Recent Ethnic Violence in Assam". Economic and Political Weekly. 49 (13): 19–22. ISSN 0012-9976. JSTOR 24479351.
- ^ Saikia, Ritupallab (24 February 2020). "12 convicted in Jhankar Saikia mob lynching case". The Telegraph. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
- ^ Borah, Sandeep (29 February 2020). "Jhankar murder case: Assam court grants life imprisonment to 12". EastMojo. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
- ^ Bordoloi, Sampurna; Datta, Pinak Pani (20 June 2018). "Fear and Loathing in New India: The Assam Lynching and Its Aftermath". The Wire. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
- ^ Kalita (29 February 2020). "12 sentenced to life for lynching Assam youth | Guwahati News". The Times of India. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
- ^ "Jhankar murder case handed over to CID | Guwahati News". The Times of India. 6 August 2013. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
- ^ Kashyap, Samudra Gupta (25 July 2013). "HC notices to Assam govt on student's death". Indian Express Archive. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
- ^ Goswami, Bhupen (14 September 2018). "Hearing Of Jhankar Saikia Lynching Case Starts". APN News. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
- ^ "12 get life in Assam mob lynching case". The Hindu. 28 February 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
- ^ "Seven years later, 12 convicted in Assam for lynching teenager for Rs 10". The New Indian Express. 24 February 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2022.