Kolkata Court sentences man to death for rape and attempted murder of infant

Kolkata: A special Pocso court on Tuesday pronounced death sentence to a man guilty of rape and attempted murder of a seven-month-old child in north Kolkata.

Rajiv Ghosh( 34) was convicted by the Pocso court on Monday while today the death sentence was delivered by the court today. The incident happened in November last year.

Justice Oindrila Mukhopadhyay observed that the crime should be considered as the rarest of the rare crimes as a seven- month-old girl was subjected to rape.


The special court also directed the West Bengal government to pay a compensation of Rs 10 lakhs to the family members of the victim.

The Protection of children from sexual offences act (Pocso) court at Bankshall court on Monday convicted the man of kidnapping, rape and attempt to murder of the child in north Kolkata’s Burtolla area within 75 days of his arrest.

The accused was convicted under Section 137 (2) (punishment for kidnapping), Section 65 (2) (punishment for rape of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 6 (punishment for aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the Pocso Act, 2012.

The conviction and sentence came within three months of the crime on November 30, 2024. The police filed the charge sheet in the case within 26 days from the date of the crime.

The girl had gone missing from a roadside shanty in Kolkata. The victim’s parents had informed the police and then the child was traced by Kolkata police.

Deputy commissioner of north division-Kolkata Police Dipak Sarkar welcomed the verdict.