Two young men whose only motive was to visit a picnic spot in Assam’s Karbi Anglong, were mercilessly beaten to death by an angry mob on Friday, 8 June, which had decided that they were “child-lifters”.
Nilotpal Das, 29, and Abhijeet Nath, 30, were two friends who, according to a report in Outlook magazine, had decided to travel to a picnic spot Kangthilangso in Karbi Anglong, in hopes of capturing the sounds of nature on Friday night.
However, they were intercepted by an angry mob, who mistook them for child-lifters or abductors, pulled them out of their SUV and began to beat them – a video of this went viral online.
While the people of Assam took to the streets to protest against ruthless lynchings, and political leaders condemned the state for poor law and order, perhaps it’s time for look at the two young men whose only fault was being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Who Was Nilotpal Das?
Speaking to Outlook, Das’ best friend Ankur Psychia said:
He was a brilliant musician, an aspiring singer and most importantly, a great human being.Ankur Psychia to Outlook
The report adds that Das was a sound engineer who was based in Goa, and was a travel-bug at heart. After completing his graduation, he took a trip to Himachal Pradesh, where he crossed paths with Aditya Dixshit, with whom he later decided to start a decor company called Sema-Luna.
Das and Dikshit launched Sema-Luna in 2014 and lived together in an apartment in Goa for five years.
I can still see his music instruments lying on his bed…. Believe me, he never hurt even an insect in his life, how could they accuse him of being a child lifter? How could someone kill him so mercilessly?Aditya Dikshit told Outlook Magazine
Das’ relatives told Scroll that he had taken up music while he was studying in college in Delhi and trained in instruments from across the world.
Dikshit adds that Das had loved sporting a dreadlocks-hippie look and hadn’t had a haircut in five years, but stated that he never thought that for the crime of looking “different”, he would lose his life.
In the video that went viral, of the two men being beaten up, Das is heard pleading with the mob and telling them that he was Assamese and begging them not to kill him.
“Don't kill me... please don't beat me. I am an Assamese. Believe me, I am speaking the truth. My father's name is Gopal Chandra Das and mother's name is Radhika Das... please let me go.”
In April, Das had left for Guwahati, his hometown, from Goa on a solo bike ride, covering 5,300 km, Dikshit told the magazine.
Nilotpal had traveled to almost every state in the country. But he would always tell me that Assam is the most beautiful place. In fact, he had plans to promote Assam’s tourism through his music...See the irony...Aditya Dikshit told Outlook Magazine
Along with his parents, Das is survived by an older sister and older brother who lives in Ahmedabad.
Who Was Abhijeet Nath?
Nath was self-made businessman and builder at a company called Atreya, and had grown up in Guwahati.
Nath had always been an animal lover, his relatives told Scroll. He lived in Guwahati’s Six Mile and according to his aunt Kumud Deka, he would diligently maintain a huge aquarium in his house.
In fact, the report adds, that on the day of the incident, Nath and Das had made the decision to drive to Kanthe Langshu, in order to look for exotic fish to add to Nath’s collection.
Their loss is a national shame.
(With inputs from Outlook magazine and Scroll)
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