Bihar: 9 get life term till death for gangraping woman, minor daughter

The woman and her minor daughter were gang-raped by the convicts in Sondiha village, falling under Konch police station in Gaya, on June 13, 2018.

A special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) court in Bihar’s Gaya sentenced 9 convicts to life imprisonment till death on Wednesday for raping a woman and her minor daughter in 2018. Two juveniles co-accused in the case are still under trial.

The court said the convicts had acted inhumanely and deserved the punishment. (HT Photo)

The case, which during investigation even saw suspension of the station house officer (SHO) of Koch police station for dereliction of duty, was deemed an “inhuman act” by the judge, who sentenced the culprits to a life in jail, till death. The court also slapped a fine of ₹32,500 each on the nine accused and ordered the state government to pay ₹80,000 as compensation to the gang-rape survivors.

The woman and her minor daughter were gang-raped by the convicts in Sondiha village, falling under Konch police station in Gaya, on June 13, 2018. Before the gang-rape, they had robbed a couple of students, said special public prosecutor Kamlesh Sinha.

During the investigation, Gaya police detained 20 people, including the two, who were identified by the minor girl survivor, leading to arrest of others. As many as 33 witnesses were produced by prosecution. The court awarded the sentence through videoconferencing.

Convicts were identified as Navlesh Paswan, Nirbhay Paswan, Ramu Paswan, Umesh Paswan, Ramesh Paswan, Sarwan Paswan alias Karu, Bhola Paswan, Upendra alias Bhandul Paswan and Prakash Paswan.