West Bengal court sentences 19-year-old to death for rape and murder of student

Kolkata: A 19-year-old man has been sentenced to death by a special court in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district for the rape and murder of a 10-year-old girl. The verdict was delivered within two months of the incident, which was deemed a “rarest of rare” case by the court.

The victim, a class 4 student, went missing on October 5 while returning home from tuition. Her body was later found in a pond in the Jayanagar Kultali area.

The accused was found guilty under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including rape and murder, as well as provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The POCSO Court of Additional District Judge Subrata Chattopadhyay of Baruipur concluded the trial in just 21 days, following the filing of a charge sheet on October 30.

The crime sparked outrage in the area, approximately 50 km from Kolkata, coinciding with ongoing protests over the rape and murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The protests turned violent, with vehicles set ablaze and a police post targeted.