On Sunday, police reported the burning to death of a 60-year-old man in Assam who had been found guilty of murdering a relative by a kangaroo court, police said.
They added that five people had been detained for questioning, including three women. Borlalung Gaon is a tribal village located nearly 20 km from the highway under Samaguri police station, in Nagaon district of central Assam. The incident occurred around 5 pm on Saturday.
“At around six o’clock in the evening, we received word that a person, afterwards identified as Ranjit Bordoloi, had been executed by burning to death and interred as per the ruling of the local customary court. Bordoloi’s body was found in a recently excavated grave after a team was dispatched to the scene, according to Kaliabor sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Mrinmaoy Das.
Farmer Bordoloi has burns covering over 90% of his body. A post-mortem report on the body has been sent, and it is pending. The police have opened a murder case, according to Das.
According to preliminary investigation, the body of Kabita Patar, a neighbour of Bordoloi’s who was in her mid-20s, was allegedly discovered in a village pond on July 2 in the morning. The officer claimed that the woman had recently been married to Bordoloi’s nephew and was also allegedly expecting a child.
“The villager’s initial assumption was that Kabita may have drowned, so they cremated her without telling the police. But on July 5, tales of Kabita’s murder and immersion in the pond began to spread across the hamlet, he continued.
Bordoloi was found guilty of killing Kabita before a kangaroo court that the villagers convened on Saturday. Das stated that although some people told the police that Bordoloi had acknowledged to killing the woman, the claim has not yet been independently verified.
“Nearly 50 to 60 locals allegedly went to Bordoloi’s house and took him up shortly after the court found him guilty. He was supposedly burned to death by pouring kerosene after being badly beaten. The burned body was then buried in a grave by the villagers, the officer claimed.
“Since the event on Saturday, the majority of the inhabitants have left the village. Arrests are anticipated and search activities are being conducted, official stated
