The accused took the girl with him on the pretext of giving her chocolates. After this, he raped and killed the girl. The accused was arrested from his house a few hours after the incident.
A five-year-old girl in West Bengal got justice within 55 days. A POCSO court on Friday sentenced the convict to death in a rape and murder case in Gurap in Hooghly district. The court delivered the verdict within 55 days of the crime. The judge of the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act) court in Chinsura found 42-year-old Ashok Singh guilty of raping and murdering the girl. The court had convicted the accused on Wednesday and sentenced him to death on Friday.
According to the prosecution, the girl went missing on the evening of November 24, 2024 and when her family members started searching in the area, the girl’s body was recovered from the house of neighbor Singh. The prosecution said that Singh took the girl to his house on the pretext of chocolate and raped her before killing her.
Lawyers examined 27 witnesses
Gurap police station in-charge Bapi Haldar said that the accused was arrested the same night and a chargesheet was filed against Singh within 14 days of the crime. The hearing of the case began in a closed room in the POCSO court on December 18. During the trial, the prosecution and defence lawyers examined 27 witnesses in the case. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed gratitude to the police for their prompt action and thorough investigation in the case.
Verdict came in 54 days
Mamata Banerjee said in a post on ‘X’, “Today, the court has sentenced the convict to death for raping and murdering a minor girl in Gurp and I thank the judiciary for this. I thank the Hooghly Rural District Police for their prompt action and thorough investigation, which ensured a speedy trial and conviction in 54 days. My condolences are with the family, and I understand their pain and suffering.” Mamata said, “There is no place in our world for rapists. Together we will make it a safe place for our children through strict laws, social reforms, effective and strict administration. No crime of this kind will go unpunished.” (Input-PTI Bhasha)
