Dibrugarh, June 16: The army is close to wrapping up court martial proceedings against the personnel allegedly responsible for the custody death of Ajit Mahanta, a daily-wage earner from Kakopathar in Tinsukia district of Assam.

A senior army official said all witnesses had been examined and the court would pronounce its verdict soon. The announcement came close on the heels of the organisations behind the anti-army uprising in Kakopathar threatening a fresh agitation over the delay in punishing the guilty.

Maj. Nishant Sharma and two other army personnel from the Dibrugarh-headquartered 1/3 Gorkha Regiment are facing court martial at an army base at Lohitpur, in Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh.

The Eastern Command had given the responsibility of conducting the court martial to the Dinjan-based 2 Mountain Division. The Tezu-headquartered 82 Brigade is providing logistical support.

?The verdict might be delivered anytime. Let me assure you that the entire process is being gone through at express speed, since the army is committed to keeping its promise of strong action against the guilty,? the army source said.

Lt Gen. Arvind Sharma, who heads the Eastern Command, had visited Ajit?s house at Hunjan Gossaigaon in February and assured his family of justice. ?Those found guilty in the case will not be spared and justice will be done very fast,? he said.

The court of inquiry did complete its probe within a few days and forwarded its report to the Eastern Command, but the court martial did not begin until June 3.

Brig. A.S. Minhas, deputy general-officer-commanding of the 2 Mountain Division, headed the three-member court of inquiry.

?Several things have to be kept in mind whenever there is an allegation against an army officer. We have to take extreme care that the morale of the forces on the ground is not hurt. However, this does not imply that we will protect the guilty,? the source said.

Suspected of having links with the banned Ulfa, Ajit had been picked up by a team of army personnel from the Makum camp of the 1/3 Gorkha Regiment on the evening of February 4. His body was dumped in the casualty department of the Assam Medical College and Hospital in Dibrugarh in the wee hours of February 6.

The youth?s death and contradictory versions of how he died ? the army claimed he died of a fall while trying to escape ? triggered an outpouring of anger in Kakopathar. The agitation enveloped the whole of Assam after eight persons were killed in firing on protesters on February 10. A girl who was wounded in the same incident died later.