A Tripura court Saturday convicted a person for raping a minor tribal girl two years ago in the Gomati district. The convict belongs to the same district. The incident occurred two days before Lakshmi Puja in 2023 when the survivor, then 10-years-old, went to a forest near her village alone to collect some items required for preparing traditional food. The convict followed her to the forest, sexually assaulted her, and threatened her not to disclose the incident to anyone in her family or others. Initially, the survivor (then 10 years) did not share her ordeal out of fear but later told her parents after she started experiencing health problems. Her parents then lodged a case at the local police station. The police, after investigating the matter, filed a charge sheet against the accused under Section 506, 376 AB of the Indian Penal Code and Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act. “Statements of 18 witnesses were recorded during the trial. After hearing arguments from both sides, witnesses’ statements, and medical evidence, the court convicted him and awarded 20 years imprisonment… and imposed a fine of Rs 7,000…” Poltu Das, Special Public Prosecutor, told reporters.
