Malda/Darjeeling, July 31 -- A Jangipur court sentenced two men to imprisonment till death and imposed a fine of nearly Rs 17.5 lakh in connection with the 2021 kidnapping and rape of a minor girl from Baishnabnagar in Malda. In another case, the special POCSO Court of Darjeeling sentenced a man to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for sexual assault of a minor.
In the Jangipur case, on June 10, 2021, the girl was allegedly abducted in an ambulance while walking home from her maternal uncle's house in Farakka, Murshidabad. Police alleged she was repeatedly raped and later dumped near PTS More in Baishnabnagar. The incident sparked widespread outrage across the state.
Police arrested Karim Sheikh and Tarzen Hossain during the initial probe. The case was later handed over to the CBI. After examining 31 witnesses, the court convicted both the accused.
"We welcome the judgment. After a legal battle of nearly five years, we feel we have finally got justice," a member of the victim's family said after the verdict.
CBI counsel Amitava Maitra stated: "The court ordered that they shall spend the remainder of their natural lives in jail and also pay a fine of about Rs 17.5 lakh."
Meanwhile, Judge Amita Mathur of the Special POCSO Court in Darjeeling sentenced one Soni Hang Subba to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 25000. "The court also directed that the victim be paid a compensation of Rs 3 lakh," stated Riwaz Rai, Special Public Prosecutor (POCSO). 11 witnesses were examined in connection with this case.
On April 19, 2023, the mother of the 8-year-old lodged a complaint that Subba had sexually assaulted her daughter at around 4 pm on that day when she was returning from school through the jungle. "Accordingly, police pressed charges against Subba under section 6/18 of the POCSO Act (attempt to rape) and Subba was arrested," added Rai.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.