A POCSO court in Malda served a life sentence to a Trinamool leader for raping a minor in post-poll violence in 2021.
The POCSO court had found the accused Rafikul Islam guilty on July 2, the quantum of punishment was announced on Friday.
This is the first instance of a post-poll violence related case in which trial was concluded with conviction and punishment announced.
The verdict in Malda came at a time when another case of post-poll violence in which a BJP supporter was killed in Kolkata is being heard.
A retired school teacher, Islam also known as Bhelu had lured the victim, a nine-year old girl while she was playing in an orchard in Malda’s Manikchak on June 4, 2021 and raped her.
“Severe violence erupted in different parts of the state and a number of cases of murder, rape and attempt to rape were reported leading to filing of several writ petitions in the Calcutta High Court. Cognizance of these violent acts was also taken by Human Rights Commission,” the Central Bureau of Investigation said in a statement.
On August 19, 2021 five-member bench of the Calcutta High Court had directed that cases of murder and crimes against women, specifically rape or attempt to rape, to be probed by the CBI. The Manikchak case was among the cases being probed by the central agency.
Amitava Maitra, the CBI’s special prosecutor in the Manikchak case said 55 cases of post-poll violence were recorded in the state after the results of the 2021 Assembly polls were declared on May 2.
The court has also directed the state to pay Rs three lakh to the family.
In the murder of BJP worker Abhijit Sarkar, a resident of Kakurgachhi, the CBI had submitted the supplementary chargesheet on Wednesday before the ACJM, Sealdah court.
Among the 18 people named in the chargesheet are Trinamool’s Beleghata MLA Paresh Pal, mayor-in-council Swapan Samaddar and Kolkata Municipal Corporation councillor Papia Ghosh.
When the hearing resumed on Friday, the court directed the CBI to issue summons to all the people named in the supplementary chargesheet. The CBI counsel asked for a month’s time for the summons to be despatched.
“The supplementary chargesheet has been filed after four years. Is this a joke? The chargesheet reveals that evidence was collected two years ago. You are entrusted with running the investigation that does not mean you can act according to your whims,” the judge said.
The court has scheduled the next hearing of the case on July 18, three days before Trinamool’s grandest annual rally in the heart of the city.
Sarkar was assaulted and strangled to death. His elder brother Biswajit and mother Madhabi were also assaulted.
Sarkar was watching the results-related news at a BJP office in Narkeldanga’s Sitaltala Lane when a mob attacked the office.
The prime accused in the case Arun Dey was arrested four days ago from Teghoria, off the VIP Road.
Another accused Amit Das was arrested a month ago from New Town, where he was employed as a food delivery agent.
Five others named in the first chargesheet filed by the CBI on September 30, 2021 are still absconding.
Among those named in the supplementary chargesheet are three police personnel including then officer-in-charge of Narkeldanga police station, Subhojit Sen, sub-inspector Ratna Sarkar and a home guard.