Shakti Mills gangrape: Two juvenile accused still awaiting trial

On Friday, as a court in Mumbai pronounced the first ever death sentence under the new section of law that pertaining to repeat offenders in a gang rape case, two youngsters in the home for juvenile offenders in Dongri, South Mumbai, were awaiting the news on Doordarshan keenly.

Both will soon face trial in a juvenile court for the Shakti Mills gang rapes, one an accused in the rape of a photo journalist in August 2013, the other accused in the rape of a telephone operator in the same premises in July last year. Those who were given the maximum penalty on Friday were common offenders in both cases.

Almost seven months after the two minor accused were brought into the home in Dongri, officials at the center said the two are leading a simple, normal life, neither talking about any the crime nor ever admitting that they were involved.

An official said the two follow the routine that all others in the juvenile home do: They wake up around 5.30 am and are in bed by 9.30 pm. “Both the minor accused are living a disciplined life since they came here. Surprisingly, both continue to insist that they have not committed any crime, so there is no question of showing any remorse,” said a senior official from the remand home, requesting anonymity.

The official added that the home provides inmates three leading Marathi newspapers, one Hindi and one English newspaper. There is a television set but only showing Doordarshan.

“We have observed that they follow the Shakti mill gang-rape cases regularly through newspapers and on DD news on TV. But, we haven’t seen them discussing it,” said the official. The children in the remand home watch TV in the evenings.

Both the minors are learning tailoring, the official added. “They attend the tailoring classes regularly in two batches - morning and afternoon. Though they are not yet able to do the cutting of the clothes, they are now able to stitch shirts and trousers very well,” explained the official.

The official added that the minor accused in the photojournalist gang-rape case has turned to spiritualism. “Eight days after he came into the remand home, he started performing namaz five times a day without fail. He also mixes quite well with the children here,” said the official adding that the brother of the accused comes to visit him once or twice every two months.

The other minor, accused in the telephone operator gang-rape case, has shown an inclination to read. “We have seen him reading books sometimes borrowed from the library. His mother also once gave him a book for reading,” said the official. “His mother also denies his involvement in the case completely.”

The official added that the duo haven’t been involved in any fights with other children.

In a landmark verdict, this is the first court to convict and sentence the three men under section 376E of the Indian Penal Code, which invokes the death penalty for repeat offenders.

On 20 March, 2014 the court convicted five persons — Vijay Jadhav, Qasim Sheikh alias Bengali, Salim Ansari, Mohammad Ashfak Shaikh and Siraj Sheikh — for gangraping a telephone operator and a photojournalist last year.

Of the five, three — Jadhav, Bengali and Ansari — were involved in both cases, and the court was considering sentenced the three to death under section 376E