Bengal courts sentence 6 to death in 6 months for crimes against girls

West Bengal courts have sentenced six convicts to death in the last six months for raping and murdering minor girls, with cases classified under the 'rarest of the rare' category. Another death sentence was awarded for a triple murder case, bringing the total to seven capital punishments in this period.

The latest judgment came on February 20, when a special POCSO court in Kolkata sentenced Rajib Ghosh, an eatery worker, to death for raping and attempting to murder a seven-month-old infant in the Burtolla area. The crime took place on November 30, and the police completed their investigation within 26 days. The child remains critical at RG Kar Hospital.

On January 17, a POCSO court in Hooghly sentenced 42-year-old Ashok Singh to death for raping and murdering a five-year-old girl in Gurap on November 24 last year. The court noted the victim trusted the convict as a family figure, referring to him as 'jethu' (elder uncle).

In December, three courts pronounced death sentences. On December 6, a Baruipur POCSO court awarded the death penalty to 19-year-old Mustakin Sardar for raping and killing a 10-year-old girl in Kultali, South 24 Parganas. The body was found with 42 injuries. The judgment was delivered within 62 days of the crime. On December 14, a Jangipur court sentenced Dinabandhu Haldar to death for raping and murdering a minor girl in Farakka during Durga Puja in October. His accomplice, Subhajit Haldar, received a life sentence.

In September, two more death penalties were issued. On September 7, a Siliguri POCSO court sentenced Md Abbas to death for raping and murdering a 16-year-old girl in Matigara while she was on her way to school. On September 26, a special POCSO court in Alipore sentenced Ashok Shaw, a gas delivery agent, to death for raping and killing his neighbor's daughter in Tiljala. The child's body was found in his kitchen with 28 wounds.

Additionally, a Chinsurah trial court in Hooghly sentenced 42-year-old private tutor Pramathes Ghoshal to death on December 24 for murdering his father, mother, and sister in Dhaniakhali in November 2021.

The last judicial execution in West Bengal was in 2004 when Dhananjay Chatterjee was hanged at Alipore Jail for the 1990 rape and murder of a 16-year-old schoolgirl. Courts continue to pronounce capital punishment for heinous crimes, with officials citing their commitment to swift justice under the POCSO Act and IPC/BNS provisions.