Agartala, September 16, 2023: A special court in North Tripura district has sentenced two men to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a minor girl in 2017. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on each of the convicts and said that they would have to undergo six more months of jail term if they fail to pay the fine.

The incident took place on August 27, 2017, when the victim, a minor girl, went to a nearby house to fetch water. She was then abducted by three men named Gon Urang, Pintu Urang and Basia Urang, who took her to a nearby forest and gang-raped her. The incident took place at Sundhibasa area under Damcherra police station in North Tripura district.

The victim’s family lodged a complaint at the Damcherra police station and accused the three men of rape under Section 376D of the Indian Penal Code and Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The police arrested the three suspects and launched an investigation.

After a year-long trial, the special court of North Tripura District, presided over by Justice Angshuman Debbarma, found Gon Urang and Pintu Urang guilty on the testimonies of 21 witnesses. Basia Urang was acquitted due to lack of evidence. On Saturday, the court pronounced its verdict and awarded 20 years of imprisonment to each of the two convicts under both Section 376 and Section 6 of POCSO Act.

The government lawyer, Sudarshan Sharma, said that the verdict was a strong message to the society that such heinous crimes against minors will not go unpunished. He also praised the police and the court for their swift and fair action.