Sessions court in Jorhat convicts 25 in connection with elderly doctor’s lynching in 2019

Jorhat: The Jorhat District and Sessions Judge in Assam on Monday convicted 25 people in connection with the lynching of a 73-year old medical officer of a hospital in Teok Tea Estate in the district in August last 2019. District and Sessions Judge of Jorhat, Robin Phukan, pronounced the judgement and convicted all the 25 people under different sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Assam Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Act, 2011. During the trial, one accused died in custody and judgement against him was kept in abeyance. The quantum of punishment would be declared on 19 October, court sources said. The incident had happened on 31 August, 2019 when Senior Medical Officer Deben Dutta was assaulted by a mob, which severely injured him, leading to his death. The angry mob had also vandalised hospital property following death of a garden worker undergoing medical treatment there. Reacting to the verdict, Dutta’s daughter said she would have preferred her father’s killers to be given capital punishment.