Kolkata, July 29 (IANS) The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Court in Jangipur of Murshidabad district on Wednesday sentenced two gang-rape accused to life imprisonment in a 2021 post-poll violence case in West Bengal, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said in a statement.
The accused persons were identified as Karim Sk and Sayed Tarjen Hossain. The court also sentenced them to rigorous imprisonment for different tenures for other offences, to run concurrently.
In the wake of post-poll violence which erupted in West Bengal after declaration of results of the 2021 state Assembly election, the Calcutta High Court had directed that cases of murder and crimes against women, specifically rape or attempt to rape, be referred to the CBI for investigation.
In compliance with the order of the High Court, the CBI took over the investigation in 2022, taking over an FIR registered at Farakka in Murshidabad district in 2021 under sections 376DA (gang rape of a female under 16 years of age), 365 of the then Indian Penal Code (IPC), and section 6 (sexual assault) of the POCSO Act, 2012, based on a written complaint by the victim’s father.
“The Hon’ble Court, after the trial, convicted the accused Karim Sk and Sayed Tarjen Hossain on Tuesday and sentenced them on Wednesday, accordingly. The sale proceeds of the ambulance of the accused would be paid to the victim, apart from the compensation of Rs 5,00,000 to the victim by the District Legal Services Authority, Murshidabad,” read the statement.
It may be noted that after the results of the 2021 Assembly election in West Bengal were declared, there were allegations of post-poll violence in various districts of the state, including Kolkata, which were committed by Trinamool Congress workers and supporters.
About 1,979 complaints of various crimes, including murder, rape and arson, were filed in the Calcutta High Court.
On the orders of the High Court, the National Human Rights Commission prepared a report after investigating the post-poll violence. A CBI investigation was also ordered in some cases like murder and rape. Various cases of post-poll violence are still pending in different courts.
