Madhaymgram: 5 get 20 yrs in jail for double gangrape

The double gangrape in October last year and later the victim’s death by self immolation on December 31 had triggered an outrage in the state.

The North 24-Parganas court had Thursday held the five accused —- Sanjib Talukdar alias Chottu, Palaash Debnath, Papai Roy, Rajesh Mondal and Rajib Biswas —- guilty under Sections 363 (kidnapping), 376(2)(g) (gangrape) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC and the quantum of punishment was pronounced today.

The five were also fined Rs 5,000 each and in default, would have to undergo an additional year in rigorous imprisonment.

The victim, the daughter of a taxi driver from Bihar, had been kidnapped and gangraped by five local youths at Madhyamgram in North 24-Parganas district on October 25. She was again gangraped by the same youths while returning from a police station after lodging a complaint. She was also threatened by the accused who told her to withdraw the complaint or face a similar consequence again.

Her family thereafter changed their residence from Madhyamgram to a rented room at Dum Dum, near Kolkata. Even though six people were arrested in connection with the incidents, the victim’s family members alleged that a close associate of the gang leader Chottu had visited their Dum Dum residence on December 23 and threatened them with dire consequences if the girl did not withdraw her complaint.

On the same day, she was found with 65 per cent burn injuries and died on December 31. While the police had said that she had self-immolated, her family members had lodged a murder complaint, which is still under investigation.

Later, then Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar took the family back to the state and rehabilitated them there. However, the family members fought the case from Bihar.