Bhubaneswar, Oct. 30 -- A Special POCSO Court in Odisha's Bargarh district today sentenced a 21-year-old youth to 20-year rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting and impregnating a minor girl on the false promise of marriage.
Despite stigma attached to unwed motherhood, the 16-year-old minor girl mustered the courage and gave birth to a male child.
On February 21, 2022, the victim opted to battle the crime committed against her and appeared at Paikmal Police Station along with her parents to lodge a written report.
She alleged that the accused Saroj Bariha of her village committed sexual assault to her repeatedly since one year giving false assurance of marriage. When the victim became pregnant, he fled from the village. Later the ...