Bhubaneswar, March 19 (IANS) A court in Odisha has sentenced six people to 10 years in prison for kidnapping and raping a Dalit woman in Bargarh district nearly six years ago, a lawyer said on Thursday.
Additional District and Session Judge at Padampur, Sayed Abdul Kadar Zahir Ahmed, on Wednesday also fined them Rs.20,000 each and said the convicts would have to undergo additional two-year jail term in case they fail to pay the amount, special public prosecutor Bhishmadev Saraf told IANS.
The 24-year-old victim was raped at Paikmal village, about 350 km from here, on May 10, 2009.
The incident had created a political storm as the main accused, Mahesh Agarwal, was a leader of the state's Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and was the chief of the local block.
Another accused Kunal Singh Beriha is a nephew of former state minister and senior BJD leader Bijaya Ranjan Singh Beriha.
According to the police, the woman had gone to the block office to enquire about a government job. Agarwal and his associates promised to help her and took her to a godown, where they allegedly raped her.
She was rescued by the police who reached there following a tip-off. The woman's medical examination had confirmed rape. The BJD had suspended Agarwal from the party after the incident.
The crime branch of the state police which investigated the crime later arrested all the six accused.
Pronouncing all the six persons guilty, the judge handed down the sentence to Agrawal, and his associates Sajjan Agrawal, Kunal Singh Beriha, Pintu Pradhan, Kamalesh Srivastav and Gunanidhi Bag, the lawyer said.
Strictness on Delhi-NCR borders, Gurugram border jam, large number of people gathered
Neighboring states have once again tightened their borders due to the rise in corona virus cases in Delhi-NCR after the lockdown-4 was relaxed. Its effect was also seen on Delhi-Gurugram and
Weather Update: Dense fog and cold waves will remain for the whole week, and severe cold in Uttarakhand-Haryana and UP
North India, including the national capital, may have seen sunshine on the first day of the year, but there are chances of dense fog and a severe cold wave this week. According to the Meteorological
Super Blue Moon: A wonderful sight will be seen on August 30, there will be a change in the size and color of the moon; How will you be able to see?
Super Blue Moon 2023: If you are also fond of watching the moon, then you must read this news. A blue supermoon is going to be seen in the sky on 30th August. The Super Blue Moon will be the third
'This is an insult to the martyrs of Galwan', BJP furious after Sam Pitroda's statement on China.
Indian Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda has stated the LAC border dispute. BJP has now surrounded him over this. BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said, Sam Pitroda's statement is against India's
IND vs ENG: The British are scared of Prince Gill, this great cricketer of England said- we have to find an answer to him
The England team faces much criticism after the crushing defeat to India at Edgbaston. After the victory in the first Test at Leeds, overconfidence took over the England team. The British made the
The Australian wrote - Gaba's fort collapsed with the magic of India; NYT said - Australian's attack broke
Team India defeated Australia by 3 wickets in the Brisbane Test to win the four-match series 2–1. This is India's first win at the Gabba ground and Australia's first defeat after 32 years. With
This production house will make a web series on Tata Group, who will play the role of Ratan Tata?
The Tata Group is counted among the most successful and powerful business groups in India. Millions of business students around the world look up to Ratan Tata as an idol. The people of this country
'If Hindus are safe in UP, then Muslims are also safe' is, an important statement of CM Yogi Adityanath
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath assured that people of all religions are safe in the state. He said that as a Yogi, he wishes for everyone's happiness. Speaking to ANI, the Uttar Pradesh
Human trial of India's first corona vaccine begins in Nims, Hyderabad
Hyderabad: The Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) together with Bharat Biotech has prepared India's first Covid-19 vaccine. The name of this vaccine is Covaxin. Its human trial has also
Ram Gopal's postmortem report: More than three bullets were fired... did this before killing him, the real reason for death came to light
Different things are going on everywhere about the death of Ram Gopal, who was killed in the Bahraich violence. Somewhere it was said that he was given electric shocks before or after being shot, and
