BARIPADA: A 33-year-old man of Mayurbhanj district, on Tuesday, was sentenced to seven years rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl by additional district and sessions judge-cum-presiding officer, Sumita Jena of special court under the POCSO Act. The convict Nirmal Kalundia (33) hails from Gada Similipal under Karanjia’s sub-division’s Jashipur police station.
According to public prosecutor (PP) Abhinna Kumar Pattnaik, the assault survivor was returning home after watching a football tournament in the nearby village on March 12, 2016, when Kalundia along with his friends intercepted her on the road at around 7 pm. The convict took her to an isolated place and sexually assaulted her. The victim ran to her uncle’s house in the night instead of going home and narrated the ordeal to her uncle and aunt. They later informed the parents and elder sister, who lodged a complaint at Jashipur police station on March 18. The accused was arrested on March 20, 2016.
Based on statements of 14 witnesses and medical reports, the court awarded seven years RI to Kalundia and fined him with Rs 5,000. The court also ordered the district legal services authority to pay Rs 4 lakh as compensation to the survivor.