KENDRAPARA: The additional district judge-cum-special judge (POCSO), Kendrapara on Thursday sentenced a man to 20 years of imprisonment for raping an eight-year-old dalit girl in Derabish area of the district seven years back.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the convict, identified as 37-year-old Mihir Kumar Singh. Failure to pay the fine would result in additional jail term of one year. The victim was studying in Class-II at the time of the incident.
On May 24, 2018, the girl’s mother filed a complaint in Derabish police station alleging her daughter was playing in the village field when Singh forcibly took her to a house and raped her.
The convict also threatened the minor with dire consequences if she revealed the incident to anyone.
The next day, the girl complained of pain in her abdominal area following which her family members came to know about the crime. Acting on the complaint, police arrested the accused under sections 376 (2) and 506 of IPC , section 6 of the POCSO Act and section 3 of SC and ST (Atrocity Prevention) Act.
Judge Pragyan Paramita Roul pronounced the verdict after examining 16 witnesses including the victim girl and the medical report, said special public prosecutor Manoj Kumar Sahu.