Odisha man gets 30-yr RI for raping minor sister-in-law

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Jajpur Road, Apr 18:

A sessions court in Odisha’s Jajpur district on Friday sentenced a 33-year-old man to 30 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) for raping and attempting to murder his minor sister-in-law two years ago at Santara village under Sukinda police station limits in Jajpur district.

District and Sessions Judge Jeevan Ballav Das sentenced Barun Kumar Mohanta to undergo 10 years of imprisonment each for three offences amounting to 30 years and imposed fine of Rs 30, 000. In the event of failure to pay the fine, he would undergo an additional three years of imprisonment, the court ruled.

The man was convicted under section 307 of IPC, sub-section (2) of section 376 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section-4 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on the charges of raping and trying to kill the 16-year-old girl on August 9, 2013.

A total of 26 witnesses including police personnel and doctors were produced by the prosecution whereas the defence could only provide three witnesses.

On August, 2013, Barun had visited his father-in-law’s house at Sanasailo village in the district and brought his minor sister-in-law with him on the pretext of taking her on a ride. After visiting a few places, he took her to his home at Santara village where he along with his two friends gang raped her.

The culprits slashed her tongue so that she wouldn’t be able to narrate the horrific ordeal to others. Then the trio hit her hard on the head following which she fell unconscious.

They took her to Sukinda hospital for treatment. However, the doctors referred her to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack after providing her first-aid.

They admitted her to a private hospital in Cuttack instead and fled the scene. After four days of the incident, the minor girl regained consciousness and narrated her ordeal to her father. Her father then filed an FIR with the Sukinda police. The prime accused, Barun, was arrested later under various sections of IPC.

“This is one of the most horrifying rape cases I have ever come across in my career. The victim was the sister-in-law of the convict, who hails from a decent family. She was unaware of his evil designs and was taken by his brother-in-law on the pretext of visiting places. He took her to his village where she was brutally raped. Two accomplices of Barun had put on face masks while raping so they could not be identified by the victim,” said Ajay Kumar Das, government pleader and public prosecutor.