Even as the RG Kar rape and murder case dominated headlines for months, sparking widespread outrage, in three other cases of sexual assault in West Bengal, the fast-track courts awarded death penalty to the convicts.
Rape-murder of teen in Siliguri
On August 21, 2023, a 16-year-old girl, heading for school, was raped and murdered in an abandoned area under the jurisdiction of Matigara police station in Siliguri. Police arrested Mohammad Abbas within six hours of the incident. He later confessed to the crime, said the police.
A Siliguri Court awarded the death penalty to Abbas within 13 months of the incident.
Special Public Prosecutor Bivas Chatterjee said, “We pleaded for the death sentence so that the same could send a message across the society for bettering other accused persons, (preventing them) from committing such a gruesome and heinous offence.”
“The death sentence was awarded in two sections: section 302 (murder) and another in section 6 of the POCSO Act,” he said.
Rape-murder of minor in Farakka
On December 13, 2024, a court in Jangipur sentenced Dinbandhu Halder (35) to death for the rape and murder of a minor girl in Farakka.
His accomplice, 23-year-old Shubojit Haldar, has been sentenced to life imprisonment. The incident occurred on October 13, 2024, during the Durga Puja festival, when a nine-year-old girl, who was visiting her uncle’s house in Farakka, left the house to play with local children.
Hours passed, and when she did not return home, the family members began searching and their inquiries led them to Dinu Halder, who had “lured the girl away under the guise of giving her flowers”. When confronted, Halder claimed he had sent the girl back home — but the father decided to search Halder’s house. He found his daughter’s body there.
The court, after considering materials on record, framed charges on November 4 this year against Dinabandhu Halder and Subhajit Halder, which they denied.
The court ordered a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the victim’s family. In the course of the investigation, it was found the accused raped, strangled, and then tried raping the child again after her death.
Rape-murder of minor in Joynagar
On December 7, 2024, a court sentenced a 19-year-old man to death for the rape and murder of a nine-year-old girl in South 24 Parganas district’s Joynagar. The verdict was delivered within 61 days of the crime in October, merely two months after the R G Kar rape and murder case. Mostakin Sardar, the suspect, was arrested hours after the crime took place in the Kultali area.
The incident took place on October 4, when the nine-year-old girl was returning from tuition classes. The accused allegedly accosted, raped and killed her.