Kamduni rape-murder: People await sentencing of convicted six

While the sentencing was awaited a day ago after the court found six of the eight accused as guilty of the crimes, the process was delayed owing to a host of reasons, including the lawyers of the convicted six being granted leave by court to place his final argument on the quantum of punishment. The prosecution too will counter him and then the judgement is expected. 

It is not yet certain that the sentencing will be declared today.

Protests were staged outside the Bankshall Court earlier yesterday against the acquittal of two of the eight accused in the case  even as the security of woman judge Sanchita Sarkar was enhanced. 

After two and half years a 21-year-old girl was gang-raped and murdered while returning home from college at Kamduni village in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district, the sessions court in Kolkata on Thursday found six of the eight accused guilty in the case which kicked off a political firestorm. 

The Additional District Sessions judge of the Bankshall Court in Kolkata, Sanchita Sarkar  served the verdict.

On June 7 evening in 2013, a BA second year student was allegedly gang-raped and murdered by few local miscreants inside an isolated factory compound at Kamduni village, while she was returning home from college after an examination. Her brutalized body was found on the next day.

Nine were arrested in connection with this case and charged under IPC sections 376D, 376A, 302, 341, 201, 120B and 109. One of them- Gopal Naskar (65)- died of fever and septicaemia on Aug 1 last year in custody during the trial while the other eight are in judicial custody.

The year-long hearing in the trial of the case  ended earlier at the city sessions court in Kolkata on Dec 22.

Demanding justice and exemplary punishment for the culprits, the Kamduni residents began their protest from the morning of  June 8 in 2013 and the Kamduni Pratibadi Mancha (KPM) was formed which strengthened the protest movement later. 

Villager Mausumi Kayal told IBNS, "We are living in fear because one of the convicted openly threatened us in the court premises. The investigation in the case was not done properly, neither the police nor the CID did a proper probe, so two were let off."