A special POCSO court in Barasat has sentenced an e-rickshaw driver to life imprisonment till the end of his natural life for the rape and murder of a minor girl in Rajarhat New Town area near Kolkata earlier this year.
The convict, Soumitra Roy, was found guilty under Sections 103(1) (murder) and 65(1) (rape of a girl under 16 years of age) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). On Monday, the court declared him guilty, and on Wednesday pronounced the sentence of life imprisonment.
The incident occurred on February 6 when the girl, following a quarrel with her mother, left home in anger. On her way back to Gauranga Nagar in the New Town periphery, she hired Roy’s e-rickshaw from Jagatpur area. She never returned home.
Police arrested Roy on February 9 after CCTV footage and forensic reports linked him to the crime. According to the prosecution, the trial, which concluded within seven months, established beyond doubt that Roy had raped and murdered the girl.
The POCSO court at Barasat observed that the case presented clear and corroborated evidence against Roy, leaving no scope for doubt. Accordingly, he was sentenced to remain in prison for the rest of his natural life.
The brutal crime triggered widespread outrage across West Bengal, with opposition parties sharply criticising the state government over law and order lapses. Protests erupted in the aftermath of the incident, demanding speedy justice and stricter safety measures for women and children.
