NEW DELHI, Aug 24: The Gauhati High Court on Thursday acquitted all the six convicts in the 2004 bomb blast in a school in Dhemaji in Assam’s in which 18 persons, including 13 schoolchildren, were killed and over 40 others injured.
The bombs had exploded when the children had gathered for the Independence Day celebrations on August 15, 2004. The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) had claimed responsibility for the attack and six accused were convicted by the Dhemaji District and Sessions Court in 2019.
The court had sentenced Lila Gogoi, Dipanjali Borgohain, Muhi Handique and Jatin Dowari to life imprisonment, and had handed a four-year jail term to Prashanta Bhuyan and Hemen Gogoi.
The convicts had challenged the verdict in the high court and the final hearing in the matter had taken place on July 24 when the court had reserved its order which was pronounced on Thursday. “The Gauhati High Court, in its order, on Thursday said the six people have been acquitted as they have been given the benefit of the doubt. The court didn’t say they were not involved but, in criminal cases, guilt has to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. The prosecution could not do that in this case,” said the accused’s counsel, Abhijit Khanikar.
The families of the victims have expressed their unhappiness with the order and questioned whether justice has been done. A family member of a victim said they were expecting justice. “We expected that the high court would give us justice but all the convicts have been acquitted. We are upset,” he said. The relative of another victim said, “They were found guilty by a lower court only in 2019 and they are going to be set free just three years on. Is this justice?”
(Manas Dasgupta)