Kolkata Court Sentences Death Penalty: A Kolkata court on Thursday handed down the death sentence to a man for the heinous crime of raping and murdering a 7-year-old girl in 2023, deeming the case as “the rarest of rare” in nature, warranting the capital punishment.
The seven-year-old girl went missing from near her home in Tiljala, south-east Kolkata, on March 26 last year while running errands. Following a missing person’s report, the police began their investigation and soon discovered her body in a nearby flat, PTI reported.
The tenant of the flat was arrested and charged with the rape and murder of the girl after post-mortem examination reports confirmed the crime. The autopsy report showed that the victim’s body had suffered blunt weapon injuries and strangulation marks post rape.
Special Judge (POCSO) Sudipto Bhattacharya sentenced the accused to death at Alipore court, ruling that the rape and murder of the girl was a “rarest of rare” case.
The judge noted that the child, being of tender age, had no chance of defending herself and was subjected to a heinous crime. The trial was completed within a year, and the court also ordered the West Bengal government to pay the girl’s mother a compensation of Rs 10 lakh under the state’s victim compensation scheme.