ANGUL: In the first Capital punishment under POCSO Act in Odisha, a special court on Friday awarded death sentence to a 22-year-old man for rape and murder of a minor girl at Kangula village in January this year.
The case assumes significance not only for the landmark judgment but also the pace of police investigation, arrest of the accused and completion of trial, all of which were completed within six months.
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Holding the accused Anam Dehuri of the same village guilty of the barbaric crime, the Special Judge of POCSO court Suresh Chandra Pradhan pronounced sentences on three counts - Capital punishment for rape of minor girl, rigorous imprisonment for life for murder and seven year imprisonment for destruction of evidence.
The gruesome incident that took place near Kangula village on January 20 had shaken the State. The 13-year-old girl was carrying lunch for her father to his shop at Lingarakata nullah, one km from their home, at around 2 pm when Dehuri accosted her.
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The man professed love for the girl and when she rejected his overture, he abducted her to a forested area near the village.
The girl tried to resist but he attacked her with a stone. As she fell down unconscious, he raped her. After some time, when the girl regained consciousness, fearing that she might disclose the matter to the villagers, he again hit her with the stone and killed her.
He, then, dragged and ditched the body in a big shrub and fled from the spot with the help of interstate trucks to Kolkata. When the girl did not reach the shop, her father began frantically searching for her.
He was shocked to find her mutilated body in a bush at Lingarakata nullah and filed a case at the police station.
Following investigation, police nabbed Anam from Kolkata. The stone along with other material evidence was recovered and DNA profiling of the accused was also done. Investigation of the case was completed within 30 days and charge sheet was submitted under section 376 (3), 302, 201 of IPC and section 6 of POCSO Act, 2012.
“The Judge after examining 36 witnesses awarded death sentence to Anam mainly on three charges including the rape and murder,” said special public prosecutor Saroj Kumar Pattanaik, who conducted the case for prosecution.
The victim’s case has been recommended to the District Legal Service Authority for compensation under Victim Compensation Scheme.