Assam: The Gauhati High Court Clears All Six Convicts in the 2004 Dhemaji Bombing
On Thursday, the Gauhati High Court found all six defendants not guilty in the bombing case that shook Assam’s Dhemaji in 2004. 18 persons were killed in the explosion, including 13 schoolchildren on the Fourth of July.
During the festivities for Independence Day, the explosion happened on the Dhemaji College grounds. According to news agency PTI, the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), which demanded a boycott of the festivities, claimed responsibility for the explosion, which wounded over 45 persons.
On July 24, the inmates appealed the decision to the top court. The Dhemaji District and Sessions Court’s 2019 ruling that had sentenced four persons to life in prison and two others to four years in jail was subsequently reversed by a division bench of judges led by Michael Zothankhuma and Mridul Kumar.
The relatives of the victims voiced their disappointment and questioned if justice had been served in the wake of this judgment. A victim’s family member expressed their expectation of justice. “We had hoped that the high court would uphold our rights, but all of the defendants have been cleared.” According to NDTV, he said, “We are unhappy.
In 2019, the Dhemaji District and Sessions Court convicted Prashanta Bhuyan and Hemen Gogoi to four years in prison, while Leela Gogoi, Dipanjali Buragohain, Muhi Handique, and Jatin Dubori to life sentences.
