A court in Assam has sentenced Rintu Sarma to death for the murder of Nandita Saikia, a college student who refused his marriage proposal. The verdict, delivered by District and Sessions Court Judge Ajay Faglu in Dhemaji, comes exactly four years after the crime occurred on August 21, 2021.
Nandita Saikia, a student at Moridhol College, was attacked while returning home with her friend and her friend's father. Rintu Sarma, who worked at the same college, ambushed them and stabbed Nandita multiple times with a machete. She was rushed to a local hospital and then transferred to Dibrugarh for further treatment, but she succumbed to her injuries five days later. Nandita's friend and her father were also seriously injured in the attack.
The prosecution argued that Sarma's motive was his anger over Nandita's rejection of his marriage proposal. The court found Sarma guilty on Wednesday under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including Section 302 (murder), Section 307 (attempt to murder), and Section 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means).
During the trial, the court heard testimony from 41 witnesses and reviewed forensic evidence. The prosecution presented a detailed 400-page chargesheet against Sarma. Judge Faglu stated that the case fell into the "rarest of rare" category, justifying the death penalty as a necessary punishment and deterrent. The court also sentenced Sarma to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000 under Section 307 IPC, and three years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5,000 under Section 324 IPC. If he fails to pay the fines, he will have to serve additional imprisonment. All sentences will run concurrently.
Nandita's family expressed their relief at the verdict. Her father stated that while no punishment could bring his daughter back, this ensures her killer faces justice. Nandita's mother thanked the government and the judiciary for the judgment, hoping that such incidents would not occur again. Assam's Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, had previously assured the family that the case would be fast-tracked.
