19-year-old sentenced to death for raping, murdering class 4 girl in Bengal; Mamata hails verdict

Kolkata: A special court in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district sentenced a 19-year-old man to death for raping and murdering a 10-year-old girl within about two months of the crime.

The body of the girl was recovered from a pond in Joynagar's Kultali area on October 5. The girl, a class 4 student, went missing when she was returning home from a tuition class.

The POCSO court of Additional District Judge Subrata Chattopadhyay in Baruipur convicted the accused under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 65 (rape), 66 (punishment for causing death or resulting in a persistent vegetative state of the victim), and 103 (murder), besides the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

The court gave the death penalty to the convict, describing the incident as the "rarest of rare" cases.

The police filed the charge sheet on October 30 and the trial, which began on November 5, was completed in just 21 days.

The incident, which happened amid the protests over the rape and murder of the doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, led to violent protests in the area, which is about 50 km from Kolkata.

Vehicles were torched, a police outpost was ransacked and roads were blocked by the protesters.

The state government had formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the case.

Special Public Prosecutor Bibhas Chatterjee, who fought the case, said the verdict could set a precedent in annals of the country's criminal jurisprudence given the swiftness with which investigation and trial were held.

"In a sharply polarised atmosphere over the RG Kar rape and murder case where cries for justice remain a talking point, the Kultali verdict would prove that not everything is wrong in Bengal's police and justice system. Kultali reserves the potential to reverse the RG Kar narrative," he said.

After the verdict was delivered, the victim's father told reporters, "I am thankful to the court. The culprit must be punished for his crime."

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee hailed the verdict, calling it unprecedented in the state's history.

"Conviction and capital punishment in such a case in just over two months is unprecedented in the history of the state. I congratulate the state police and all those involved in the prosecution process for this outstanding achievement. The government has zero tolerance towards offences against women and will continue to ensure that justice is neither delayed nor denied," she posted on X.

The CM had met the parents of the victim at the state secretariat and assured them of all assistance in getting justice.

TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said, "The next big step is the nationwide implementation of the Aparajita Anti-Rape Bill because strong legislation is the only way to create a deterrent against such atrocities."