Bareilly (Uttar
Pradesh), July 26: In a rare case that dates back to 2016, a special Protection
of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court has awarded life imprisonment to
a man who raped and brutally murdered an eight-year-old schoolgirl in Bithri
Chainpur area of Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly district. The court in Bareilly also
slapped a fine of Rs 3.55 lakh on him.
"This is a rare
case and was expecting death penalty", the government counsel said on
Saturday.
Five years ago, the
girl, who belonged to a family of marginal farmers, "disappeared"
when she went out to play with her friends after school. The accused, who was
aged 19 when the crime occurred, had first repeatedly punched the girl on her
mouth and face. He then raped and sodomised the minor while she remained in an
unconscious and battered condition.
Thereafter, he used a
sharp knife and beheaded the little girl and buried her body in a cane field.
Her body could be traced only after a part of her foot was partially seen jutting
out from the shallow grave.
Additional district
government counsel (ADGC) Reetram Rajput said “The accused, Pravesh Kumar, was
caught by police and they also found the murder weapon and bloodstained clothes
from his house. Stains of spermatozoa were also found on the clothes which were
verified during forensic tests. We had enough circumstantial evidence to prove
that the minor was last seen with Pravesh and his self-confession of the crime
was also considered by justice Ram Dayal."
The ADGC added, "Fifteen witnesses were presented before the court. Pravesh was found guilty under sections 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), 376 (rape), 377 (unnatural offences) of IPC along with the POCSO Act. The court has also slapped a fine of Rs 3.55 lakh on Pravesh. Half of the amount will be given to the girl’s family.”