A court in Ranaghat sentenced Brajagopal Gayali aka Sohail, son of former Trinamool Congress leader Samarendra Gayali, to rigorous life imprisonment on Tuesday in connection with the gang-rape and subsequent death of a minor girl at Hanskhali in Nadia in April 2022.

Two other youths — Prabhakar Poddar and Ranjit Mullick — have also been awarded life term.

Brajagopal and his friends Prabhakar and Ranjit were found guilty on Monday under the Pocso Act for the gang-rape of the 14-year-old girl at Brajagopal’s birthday party on April 4, 2022, causing her to bleed to death by the next day, April 5.

Brajagopal’s father and expelled Trinamool leader Samarendra Gayali and Pijush Kanti Bhakta were sentenced to five years imprisonment as the court convicted them on charges of criminal intimidation and causing harm.

Two other convicts Anshuman Bagchi and Dipta Gayali were sentenced to three years’ rigorous imprisonment as they were convicted for destroying evidence and giving false information to shield the main accused.

The court, however, gave respite to Surajit Roy and Akash Barui, who were minors at the time of the crime. They have been put under one year’s observation without the provision of bail and slapped a fine of ₹50,000 each.

On Monday, the court had convicted nine people in connection with the case. The CBI had investigated the case on the directive of Calcutta High Court.

The court held that nine persons were found guilty under various sections of the BNSS, including provisions related to gang-rape, criminal conspiracy, criminal intimidation, destruction and suppression of evidence and snatching, along with Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act.

Hanshkhali police began a probe based on a complaint lodged by the victim’s mother after the incident. Responding to a public interest petition, Calcutta High Court later directed the state government to hand over the case to the CBI.

In their deposition before the CBI, the girl’s parents stated that they were prevented by the accused and their associates from taking her to a hospital. She was allegedly treated by a local unregistered medical practitioner before her condition worsened and she died.

The prosecution further stated that after her death, the body was forcibly taken away by the accused and their aides and cremated without post-mortem or a death certificate.

During the trial, the prosecution had alleged that as Brajagopal’s father was then a leader of the state’s ruling party, the accused used political influence to carry out the cremation and kerosene was used to hasten the burning process and destroy forensic evidence. The CBI counsel refused to speak about the verdict. One of the defence lawyers said it “filled with lacunae” and that it would be challenged at a higher court.