Shillong, Jun 10: The Meghalaya High Court has acquitted Louis Dohtdong, the president of the Hynñiewtrep National Youth Movement (HNYM), along with his brother Comius Dohtdong, from a murder conviction due to lack of credible evidence.
Both were sentenced to five years in prison for their involvement in the 2011 murder of a parking lot operator Rijied Kurkalang at Mawlonghat, Sohra bus stand.
On November 11, 2024, an additional sessions judge found the Dohtdong brothers guilty under Section 304 Part II/34 of the Indian Penal Code.
However, the bench of Justice Wanlura Diengdoh observed that there is no specific evidence linking the appellants to the fatal injuries that caused Kurkalang’s death. Eyewitness testimony was unable to clarify which brother actually inflicted the fatal blows.
According to the June 9, 2026 judgement, while several individuals were implicated, only the Dohtdong brothers faced prosecution. The bench noted that the post-mortem report indicated a combination of sharp and blunt force injuries and that without clear evidence identifying who caused the fatal harm, the conviction was unjustifiable.
“No credible evidence proving involvement of the appellants beyond reasonable doubts is found,” the court said and set aside the previous judgement and released the appellants from all charges.
