A special Pocso court in South Dinajpur on Friday sentenced a youth to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a three-year-old girl in the district in 2020.

On Wednesday, the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences Act (Pocso) court convicted Amit Pahan, 23, for the crime.

On January 18, 2020, when the girl was playing near her residence, her neighbour Pahan took her to his house and raped her. A few locals rescued her and admitted her to a hospital.

Her parents filed a complaint and Pahan was arrested. The trial process was conducted at the court and Pahan was found guilty.

He has been in judicial custody since then.

“The court has sentenced the accused to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹10,000. If he fails to pay the fine, he will have to spend another six months behind bars. Also, the court had ordered the state government to pay a compensation of ₹3 lakh to the victim,” said Ritabrata Chakraborty, a government lawyer.

The girl’s family has expressed satisfaction over the order.

Kartick Chandra Mondal, the additional superintendent of police of Balurghat, said after the complaint was filed, the police arrested the accused, probed the case and filed the chargesheet within 24 days.

“The court’s verdict is significant. It will send a message to society about the legal consequences of such crimes,” said Mondal.

Assault arrest

Basanta Barman, a 40-year-old resident of Cooch Behar district, was arrested on Thursday for sexually assaulting a minor girl.

A senior police officer said Barman, a mechanic, had committed the crime a few days ago.

After the girl’s family filed a complaint, the police started a lookout. On Friday, Barman was produced at a local court, which ordered his 14-day judicial custody.