Youth gets death sentence for raping, murdering minor girl

KOLKATA: In a rare instance, an accused in a minor girl rape and murder case of Tiljala area has been held guilty and awarded with capital punishment within just one-and-a-half-year of the crime committed..

The man, identified as Alok Kumar, was held guilty by the Special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Court, Alipore after mentioning the crime as rare and brutal on Wednesday. On Thursday, he was awarded the death sentence.

On March 26, 2023, an eight-year-girl went missing when she went downstairs from home to dump the garbage. After searching for the girl for a few hours, her family members approached the police around noon. While searching the flats in the area, cops found the girl’s body wrapped in a sack from inside Kumar’s flat. He was immediately taken into custody and the girl’s body was sent for autopsy after the necessary procedure. During interrogation, Kumar had confessed that he killed the girl by hitting her on the head and strangulating her. Later, the investigation revealed that Kumar had sexually assaulted the minor before killing her. After the investigation, police filed the chargesheet during June and the trial started in July last year, where about 45 witnesses were examined.

After the body was found, local people started agitating in front of the police station at night. It is alleged that stones were pelted at the cops due to which two police personnel suffered injuries. Later, a large contingent of the police force was called in. Cops resorted to a mild lathi charge to disperse the violent mob. Several people were detained for attacking police. On the morning of March 27, local people put up a blockade on the railway track in the Bondel Gate area around 2:30 pm. Another group of protesters in the Picnic Garden area, adjacent to Bondel Gate bridge, vandalised several police vehicles. Initially, police had to back off due to less number of cops. Later a large contingent of police force, including the Rapid Action Force (RAF) resorted to lathi charge to bring the situation under control

It may be mentioned that, on September 7, POCSO Court, Siliguri awarded capital punishment to a youth for murdering a 16-year-old mentally challenged girl after raping her. This case was also completed within a year of the crime committed. This apart, during the current month, about eight people in five cases under POCSO Act have been awarded life sentences in the North Bengal districts.