Darbhanga, Dec. 24: The family of a rape and murder victim here has joined the millions in seeking fast execution of the Supreme Court’s death sentence order against the perpetrator of the eight-year-old crime.

In February 2004, a seven-year-old girl had been raped and murdered at the Alinagar area of the Darbhanga district.

In this connection, a case of rape and murder was registered under Manigachhi police station and the accused, Md Mannan alias Abdul Mannan, confessed his crime before the court. The capital punishment was pronounced for the crime by Darbhanga district court in 2007, which was upheld by Patna High Court in its verdict of August 2008. The Supreme Court on April 20, 2011, pronounced its verdict in which it maintained status quo of the Patna High Court. However, the court order is yet to be executed as Mannan is lodged in Bhagalpur Special Central Jail.

Raj Kumar Jha, the victim’s maternal uncle, said: “I would like to ask the women organizations, which are demanding capital punishment for rape after speedy trial, why the court orders are not executed. Hardly anyone talks about this. Even if the court pronounced capital punishment, the leniency of the government averts its execution. The protesters should demand the final execution of the verdict that the fast-track courts pronounce.”

Jha added: “My niece was raped and murdered in daylight; even the verdict favour us but the execution of the order is too late. In such conditions, the feeling of discontent is natural if delivery of justice is too late or execution is being delayed. If the criminals are punished on time it would deter others.”

On the pretext of buying betel, the girl was asked to go out of her house to a nearby shop. When she went out of the house, Mannan, who was working as a worker at her uncle’s under-construction house, he chased the girl. About 5km away from the house, her body was recovered from a wheat field when her parents started a search. Manna tried to flee after seeing her father and uncle, but was caught and handed over to the police.

Nitish vocal

Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday condemned the Delhi gang rape.

“Protests would help create an environment against such crimes,” he said.