Kolkata, December 6
The special court of South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal has sentenced a 19-year-old youth to death within two months in the case of rape and murder of a 10-year-old girl. The girl’s body was recovered from a pond in Jayanagar Kultali area on October 5. The fourth class student went missing while returning home from tuition.
The POCSO Court of Subrat Chattopadhyay, Additional District Judge, Baruipur charged the accused under Sections 65 (forced murder), 66 (punishment for causing death or rendering the victim unconscious) and 103 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code. Also convicted under Protection of Children (POCSO) Act.
The court termed this incident as rare and sentenced the accused to death. The police filed the charge sheet on October 30 and the trial, which started on November 5, was completed in just 21 days.
The incident took place during the ongoing protest over the rape and murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Violent protests took place in the area after this incident, which happened at a distance of about 50 km from Kolkata. Meanwhile, apart from setting fire to vehicles, a police post was also targeted. The protesters blocked the roads. The state government had formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the matter. Bibhas Chatterjee, the special public prosecutor in the case, said that given the speed with which the investigation and trial were conducted, the verdict could set a precedent in the history of criminal jurisprudence in the country. After the verdict was announced, the victim’s father told reporters, “I am grateful to the court. The criminal should be punished for his crime.” Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee hailed the verdict, calling it unprecedented in the history of the state. -News-Patiala