POCSO court awards death penalty to Salepur rape and murder accused

(Reporters Today, Bhubaneswar): A POCSO court today awarded death penalty to the accused youth convicted in Salepur minor girl rape and murder case last year. Sheikh Mustaq, who was accused of raping and murdering the minor girl from Jagannathpur village under Salepur police limits was charged under Sections 376 (A), 376 (B), 302, 363 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 6 of the POCSO Act.

A per reports, the accused Mustaq had reportedly lured the girl with a chocolate and raped her inside a school in the village and crushed her head with a stone on April 21, 2018. The girl was taken to the SCB Medical College & Hospital in critical condition, where she succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment on April 29 last year. The death sentence is 4th such ruling in last two months under the POCSO Amendment Act in Odisha which has the provision of capital punishment in rape cases involving minor girls under 12 years of age.

Coincidentally the crime happened on the very same day as Odisha government implemented the amended POCSO Act. Police arrested the accused soon after the incident and also filed charge sheet against him in a record 19 days.