This story is from February 17, 2021

SIT submits chargesheet in Nayagarh rape, murder case

The special investigation team (SIT), which has been probing the alleged rape and murder of a 5-year-old girl in Nayagarh, has found some independent witnesses against the 17-year-old accused.
SIT submits chargesheet in Nayagarh rape, murder case
BJP workers during a protest against he Nayagarh incident (file photo)
BHUBANESWAR: The special investigation team (SIT), which has been probing the alleged rape and murder of a 5-year-old girl in Nayagarh, has found some independent witnesses against the 17-year-old accused. The significant revelation has been mentioned in the final chargesheet, which was submitted against the accused in the children’s court at Nayagarh on Monday.

The girl, who had gone missing on July 14 last year, was found murdered near her home on July 23.
“We have found some independent witnesses, who had seen the deceased (minor girl) going inside the house of the accused or child in conflict with law (CCL) on July 14, 2020. This was the last time when the girl was seen alive. Another witness has seen the CCL, who was coming out from his house with a jute sack at the time of disposing the body. However, the witness was unaware that the accused was carrying a body in the sack,” an SIT officer said.
According to the nine-page chargesheet, the statements of these key witnesses have been recorded by a judicial magistrate under section 164 of CrPC. The chargesheet said the motive of the child’s murder was sexual assault. The accused, who is a neighbour of the victim, was arrested on December 20, 2020.
The minor girl along with other children of the village had been frequently visiting the accused’s home to pluck berries from his tree. In the absence of his family members on July 14, he allegedly lured her to his home and committed the offence, the chargesheet said.
On the pretext of giving her berry, he took her inside the home and sexually assaulted her. When she resisted, he strangled her to death. He then committed the most weird and unfortunate offence of trying to have sex with the body, the chargesheet said. The accused bundled the deceased’s body in a jute sack and dumped it inside a bush near an unused village pond, which is located very close to his home.

The chargesheet said the polygraph test report of the CCL revealed deceptive response. He confessed to his guilt before the experts of the lie detection division. His confession has been recorded in audio-visual mode. A counsellor was arranged to study his mental condition. The counsellor reported that the CCL confessed to have killed the girl. The CCL told the counsellor that he had watched porn videos from internet a day before the murder, the chargesheet said.
Last month, the juvenile justice board in Nayagarh said the CCL will face trial as an adult and shifted the case’s trial to children’s court. Under the amended Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act in the aftermath of Nirbhaya case, a child in conflict with law between the age of 16 and 18 years shall be tried as an adult in the children’s court if he is allegedly involved in a heinous offence.
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)
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About the Author
Debabrata Mohapatra

Debabrata Mohapatra is a senior correspondent at The Times of India, Bhubaneswar. He holds a PG diploma in Journalism from Chennai and covers crime and civic issues. Debabrata spends his leisure reading and watching cricket on TV.

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