The court of the Kamrup chief judicial magistrate on Friday convicted 11 of the 16 men accused of assaulting and molesting a girl outside a pub on Guwahati’s busy G.S. Road on July 9.
The fast-track court of CJM S.P. Moitra, while pronouncing sentence of a maximum two years’ jail for 11 accused under various IPC sections, acquitted journalist Gau-rab Jyoti Neog and three others of all charges.
Mr Neog, who had filmed the molestation, had been arrested on charges of having planned the mob attack on the 20-year-old girl. The footage of the incident went viral on social media networks, causing widespread outrage. Mr Neog was arrested July 21. With a clean cheat from the court, the management of the news channel announced that Mr Neog, who had been suspended, has been asked to resume duty with immediate effect.
The special investigation team constituted to investigate the case had filed the chargesheet on September 4 naming 16 as accused. The case of one accused, a minor, has been transferred to the Juvenile Justice Board.
Those convicted on Friday were Deepak Deb, Rubul Ali, Sikandar Bas-for, Nabajyoti Baruah, Deba Das, Rupakanta Kalita, Ghanshyam Mal-lik, Pushpendra Das, Nabajyoti Deka and Dha-nraj Basfor. The court has also fined all of them.
Apart from Mr Neog, the court also acquitted Diganta Basumatary, Jitumoni Deka and Hafizuddin Ahmed. The conviction in a record six months has been widely welcomed by civil society groups.
and women’s organisations .