5 who raped tribal girl, killed her and 2 members of her family, handed death sentence in Chhattisgarh

The sixth convict, Umashanakar Yadav (26), was sentenced to life imprisonment since the rape charge could not be proved against him, special public prosecutor, Sunil Kumar Mishra told The Indian Express.

According to Kumar, the incident took place in Korba district on January 29, 2021. That day, Manjhwar, the prime accused in the case, offered a ride on his bike to the victim and her family – her father, mother, and their two grandchildren, including a toddler – all of whom were waiting at a bus stop in the district.

The family was broken up into two — while the victim’s mother and one of the grandchildren were made to sit on one bike, the other one took the victim, her father and the toddler.

Instead of taking them home, three were taken to another village, where the accused had drinks. Meanwhile, one of the accused who offered a ride to the mother, dropped her midway and returned to the group, which gangraped the girl in front of the father, and then stoned him and the toddler to death.

The police, which came looking for the trio four days later, found the girl alive but unconscious. She died on her way to the hospital.

In her ruling, Additional Sessions Judge Mamta Bhojwani called the act “inhuman”, noting that the victims belonged to the vulnerable PVTG group. “It’s bestial and cowardly because they have killed three innocent and weak people for the purpose of satisfying their lust, which has shocked the collective conscience of the entire society,” the judge said. “…therefore, this Court has no option but to choose the exception of the death penalty instead of the general rule of life imprisonment.”