POCSO case: Man gets 7-year jail following victim’s virtual deposition from B’desh

Kolkata: A man was sentenced to seven years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) by a Ranaghat court on Wednesday for raping a minor after her deposition was recorded virtually from Bangladesh.

According to sources, on June 20, 2020, a 10-year-old minor girl was raped by a youth at a village in Ranaghat. The victim’s family filed a complaint with the Ranaghat Women’s Police Station.

On the basis of the complaint, a case was registered under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against the youth, identified as Sukumar Biswas.

Within a few days of the incident, the victim and her family members left the country and went to Bangladesh. This made the investigation and trial complicated. A total of 11 witnesses were examined. However, the trial was delayed as the victim and her family were in Bangladesh. Later, the Ranaghat District Police got in touch with the victim girl’s family through a proper channel and her testimony was taken through video conferencing. The statements of her family members were also recorded virtually. On Wednesday, the court awarded Biswas seven years of rigorous imprisonment and also slapped a fine of Rs 10,000.

Biswas’ lawyer reportedly claimed that he will challenge this order in the High Court.