Darjeeling (West Bengal): A court in Matigara sentenced a convict to death in the rape and murder of a minor schoolgirl in Matigara.
Additional District and Sessions Fast Court Judge Anita Mehrotra Mathur awarded the sentence on Saturday. As soon as the death sentence was announced, the victim's kin and locals celebrated the verdict.
Experts believe that this court's verdict will set a precedent in the case of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital trainee doctor.
Based on the evidence of 22 witnesses and several other facts, the judge awarded Mohammad Abbas the capital punishment.
Public prosecutor Bivas Chakraborty said, "The fight is over. The convict has been sentenced to death under two sections. One under the POCSO Act and the other under section 302 (murder) of the IPC. The court considered this case to be a rare case and announced the death sentence to the convict. The West Bengal police did a good job. Then the job was done by lawyers and the judiciary."
"The hearing of the case started on January 3. This case would have ended in March. But the defence lawyer went to the Calcutta High Court. He argued why the case was being heard so quickly by the government lawyer. Although the court did not pay attention to it, we lost two to three months in between. Otherwise, this case would have been over in three to four months' time," added Chakraborty.
On 21 August 2023, a minor girl in school uniform was raped and murdered in a house inside an abandoned land in Motajo, Matigara. After investigation, the West Bengal police arrested Muhammad Abbas (31), a resident of Palpara, Lenin Colony, Matigara.
It is learnt that he worked as a labourer. It is also understood that the accused took the minor girl on a bicycle by luring her to return home. After that, he took her to the abandoned land and tried to rape her.
But when the minor objected, she was killed by hitting her head with a brick lying there. After the murder, the convict ran away with a handkerchief on his face.
Siliguri MLA Shankar Ghosh said, "I would like to thank the Police Commissioner of Siliguri and the investigators for completing the probe quickly. Also the Special Public Prosecutor for fighting the case very seriously."
The victim's mother said, "My daughter's soul has now got peace after so long. What happened to me, I want no other mother to be like that. Now I have peace."
Meanwhile, the Jalpaiguri POCSO court ordered 25 years of rigorous imprisonment for an Army jawan for raping a minor girl. The order was passed by Jalpaiguri POCSO Court Judge Indivar Tripathi.
