In a major breakthrough, the Assam police on Wednesday arrested the man in accused in the lynching of two men – Nilotpal Das and Abhijeet Nath -- from Karbi Anglong district in the early, a senior police officer said.
With this, the total number of people arrested in connection with the lynching of the two men and spreading hate messages and rumours following the incident in Karbi Anglong district on Friday has risen to 64, the officer said.
Karbi Anglong Police arrested the prime accused, Joz Timung alias 'Alpha', from Belurghat area under the jurisdiction of the same Dokmoka Police Station where the incident had taken place, superintendent of police SP Ganjala said.
Timung was allegedly responsible for asking villagers over phone to stop the vehicle carrying the two men and spreading rumours of them being child lifters, the SP said.
Two friends – Das, 29, and Nath, 30, - were on Friday pulled out of their vehicle at Panjuri in Karbi Anglong district and beaten to death by a group of irate villagers, who suspected them to be child-lifters.
READ ALSO: Karbi Anglong Lynching: 'This Is Not The Assam I Know'
According to statement given by Timung, the two youth from Guwahati had entered in an argument with him at the Kangthilangso Falls, reported Pratidin Time.
Soon, Timung called more villagers to join him. As more people gathered, Das and Nath left the spot, but not before their vehicle was attacked with stones.
The reported added that Timung then had called people over phone from nearby villages and informed that the two persons travelling in the SUV had kidnapped a child. He also asked the villagers to attack Das and Nath.
The police had launched a massive search operation to arrest him but he was constantly on the move and was finally apprehended early in the morning, he said.
Timung is a resident of Kangthilangso village where the two men had gone on Friday last.
The Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) has decided to give Rs 5 lakh each to the parents of the two deceased men and also install their statues at the place where they were lynched, KAAC Chief Executive Member (CEM) Tuliram Ronghang said.
The Council, which held a meeting with media, government officials and prominent citizens at Diphu last evening, condemned the incident.
Ronghang said Karbis are a part and parcel of Assam and many tribal and non-tribals live in Karbi Anglong autonomous area, forming a greater Assamese society.
The Karbi Students' Association (KSA) and Karbi Sahitya Sabha, which met here under the aegis of the Asam Sahitya Sabha in Guwahati yesterday, have condemned the lynching.