The filing of chargesheets by police after a thorough investigation is key to the nailing of the accused. The alacrity with which Kolkata police files charge-sheets in cases helps in quick convictions.
In case of a sexual assault and murder of a two-and a-half-year-old slum girl, Hastings Police Station completed inquiry and filed charge-sheet in record time at the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate.
The accused involved in the gory crime was convicted and got capital punishment.
According to the case, on an intervening night of July 20 and July 21, 2013, Srimati Nayan Sardar (35), wife of Palan Sardar, a resident of Kidderpore Road Ramp of Vidyasagar Setu, Hastings, near Sayed Baba Mazar, went to sleep along with her family members including her granddaughter.
When she woke up around 1-30 am, she found her granddaughter was missing from the bed. She immediately raised an alarm to wake up others. Despite frantic search throughout the night, the girl could not be traced. But around 6.30 am some local children found the body of the kid in a drain beside Race Course with multiple wounds.
She was immediately taken to the SSKM Hospital where the girl was declared brought dead by the doctors. During the autopsy, the surgeon opined that death was due to throttling or manual strangulation and confirmed sexual assault on the body.
The probe began on the basis of the statement given by Nayan Sardar at Hastings PS. Under section 363/ 364/ 376/ 302 of IPC and section 4 of the POCSO act, a case was registered against Suresh Paswan of Bidupur village under Vaishali district of Bihar who used to work at the racecourse ground as Sahis.
Suresh was slapped with charges of forceful abduction with an intention of murder and sexual assault.
The investigation of the case was taken up by Homicide Squad of Detective Department under order 23.07.2013.
After completion of the investigation the charge-sheet was submitted before the court of CMM, Kolkata on September 24, 2013, under sections 363/ 364/302/ 376A of IPC and Section 4 of POCSO Act.
During the trial, a total of 32 eyewitnesses, including five police officers and two doctors submitted their evidence before the court. Chief Public Prosecutor City Sessions Court, Calcutta conducted the trial of the case.
The accused Suresh Paswan was found guilty on all counts under sections 364/ 376A/ 302 of IPC and also under Section 6 of POCSO act for kidnapping with an intention to murder, rape and causing death to the victim.
While delivering judgment on March 28, 2019, the honourable court considered the offences of accused Suresh Paswan as ‘rarest of the rare act’ and awarded eight years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5000/- Id 2 years (for Sec 364 IPC), rigorous imprisonment for 20 years and a fine of Rs. 50,000/- Id 5 years (for Sec 376A IPC), rigorous imprisonment for 8 years and a fine of Rs. 5,000/- Id 2 years (for Sec 6 of POCSO Act, 2012) and to be hanged till death U/s 302 IPC. All the sentences will run concurrently.
According to OC Homicide, Bireswar Chatterjee , the culprit is a sexual pervert and neither money nor personal vendetta came in the way of crime.
He said that investigating officer Chinmoy Banerjee played a great role in solving the case. All credit goes to Chinmoy Banerjee for cracking this case, he added.
By Mohammad Asif
