Adivasi man lynched

Tezpur: A 35-year-old man, who was beaten up along with three others on Diplonga tea estate under Sootea police station in Biswanath district on suspicion of being cattle thieves in the wee hours on Wednesday, succumbed to his injuries at Bora Nursing Home at Biswanath Chariali at night.

The deceased has been identified as Deben Rajbongshi, who belonged to the Adivasi community.

Phoolchand Sahu, Bijoy Nayak and Pujan Rajbongshi, who were with him and sustained injuries on heads and limbs, were undergoing treatment, police said. No one has been arrested so far.

Biswanath superintendent of police D.K. Choudhury said the incident took place at Diplonga tea estate, a division of Dekorai tea estate, about 70km from here and nearly 20km from the district headquarters on Wednesday. The site is 250km from Guwahati.

"The four persons from Sootea were travelling in a van without a number plate. They were attacked by a mob at 4am. Locals alleged they had stolen cows and were caught red-handed," Choudhury said.

He added that two cows were recovered from the van. While the driver escaped, a mob of nearly 20 people attacked the four men with sticks and lethal weapons.

"We were going to buy pigs from the Diplonga tea garden early on Wednesday morning when a mob armed with sticks intercepted us and attacked us. They accused us of being cow thieves," one of the injured told reporters at the nursing home.

Choudhury said a case of cow theft had been registered. "We have no information about the four persons going to buy pigs. As three of them are injured, we are yet to record their statements. The situation is under control," he said.