Rapist of 9-yr-old convicted; first conviction in CBI-probed Bengal post-poll violence cases

A special court in Malda has convicted a person for the rape of a nine-year-old girl, marking the first conviction in the post-poll violence cases of West Bengal investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), officials said on Wednesday.

Sixty one cases of murder and crimes against women -- specifically rape or attempted rape -- during the post-poll violence that engulfed West Bengal following the declaration of assembly election results on May 2, 2021 were handed over to the CBI by the Calcutta High Court.

In one such case investigated by the CBI, it emerged that a retired government school teacher in Malda, Rafikul Islam alias Bhelu, lured a nine-year-old girl, who was playing in a mango orchard, with money and raped her on the evening of June 4, 2021.

The CBI filed charge sheets against him and, for an expeditious trial, appointed a special counsel.

Special Public Prosecutor for the CBI Amitava Maitra presented a strong case against the accused, supported by eyewitness testimony from the victim's 10-year-old friend and the victim herself, resulting in the conviction by the Additional District & Sessions Judge, 2nd (POCSO Court), Malda.

The court found Islam guilty under the POCSO Act and Section 376AB of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for raping a minor girl under the age of 12, a CBI spokesperson said in a statement.

''This is the first post-poll violence case in which the trial has concluded and the same has resulted in conviction,'' she said.

The quantum of the sentence will be pronounced on July 4.

After taking over the post-poll violence cases, the CBI constituted special teams for investigation by drawing officers from across India and also appointed special counsels for expeditious trials, she added.

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