Arrests in AASU leader lynching case rises to 14 as SIT takes over probe

The number of arrests in the lynching of the AASU leader here increased to 14 with a person taken into custody in connection with it on Saturday after a SIT began investigation into the incident, an official said.

The number of arrests in the lynching of the AASU leader here increased to 14 with a person taken into custody in connection with it on Saturday after a SIT began investigation into the incident, an official said. The latest arrest has been made from Borigaon area of Jorhat, the official added. A special investigation team was formed on Friday and has begun its probe into November 29 lynching in Jorhat town in which All Assam Students' Union (AASU) leader Animesh Bhuyan was killed and two others injured. "DSP Khiteswar Bonia is leading the SIT and it will monitor the progress of investigation on a daily basis. We will ensure that a watertight case is framed against the accused," Jorhat superintendent of police Ankur Jain said. Jain had also announced a Whatsapp number and an email address for use by anyone having information on those involved in the lynching incident. "The identity of the person who shares the information will be kept secret," he assured and appealed to the people to cooperate with the police in apprehending all the culprits. A total of 13 accused were arrested by Jorhat police, including the prime accused, Neeraj Das alias 'Kola Lora' (black boy). He was, however, killed on Wednesday, a day after his arrest, after being reportedly hit by a trailing police vehicle when he jumped out of the police car in which he was being ferried and tried to escape in the outskirts of Jorhat town. Bhuyan was beaten to death and two others, including a reporter, were seriously injured by a group of people following a heated argument over an accident. The lynching took place in the daytime in front of scores of onlookers, who did nothing to stop it but were busy in filming the incident on mobile phones.

The incident took place after an old man fell down from a scooter in front of Bhuyan's four-wheeler but some people at the spot claimed that the AASU leader had hit the two-wheeler. When he and his two friends, both AASU members, got down from the vehicle to help the man, Neeraj, who was his son, and some of his friends rushed to the spot and started thrashing Bhuyan and his two friends, accusing them of causing the accident.

Bhuyan, who was the education secretary of Brahmaputra Regional Committee of AASU's Golaghat district unit, was declared brought dead when taken to the hsopital.

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