Assam court awards death penalty to gangrape-murder convict

Nagaon: A court in Assam awarded death penalty to a man who was prime accused in the gang-rape of an 11-year-old girl in Nagaon in March this year.

Nagaon Chief Judicial Magistrate on Tuesday convicted 19-year-old Zakir and acquitted five others for lack of evidence. Two other accused in the case were minors and they were being tried in juvenile court.

District and Session Judge Rita Kar sentenced Hussain (19) to death for the murder under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The court had convicted him and acquitted five others for lack of evidence on September 4.

The minor girl was gang-raped and set on fire when she was alone at her home in Dhaniabheti Lalung Gaon in Nagaon on March 23. The Class V student was rushed to the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital where she succumbed to her



injuries.

A case was filed in the Batadrava Police Station  and the accused were arrested on charges of rape, house trespass, causing disappearance of evidence and murder under the IPC. The charge sheet was filed on April 28 against Zakir and seven others.

The incident had led to widespread protests across the state with the Assam government announcing in the Assembly that it will bring in a stringent anti-rape law in the next session of the House.

The government also announced to recruit women Sub Inspectors through a special drive to have 30 per cent women in the police force.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had launched a toll free helpline '181-Sakhi' for women in distress and the Gauhati High Court approved the proposal for setting up exclusive fast track courts for trial of cases related to rape and murder of women and children in Assam.