Berhampur: In a major development, a Special POCSO Court in Ganjam district sentenced two army personnel to life imprisonment for sexually assaulting a four-year-old girl inside a school bus on the premises of the Army Air Defence (AD) College in Gopalpur.
The convicts, identified as Bhutedia Jayes Kumar (30) of Satlasana in Gujarat’s Mehsana district and Haseldar Munda (37) of Baidhar village under Barkote police limits in Deogarh district, were found guilty of the heinous crime that took place in January this year. Special POCSO Judge Pranati Pattnaik pronounced the verdict within 10 months of the incident, convicting both accused under relevant provisions of the POCSO Act. Kumar was serving as a havildar and Munda as a naik at the Army AD College when the incident occurred. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on each convict, directing that the total amount of Rs 20,000 be handed over to the victim.
In default of payment, both convicts will undergo an additional six months of rigorous imprisonment. Furthermore, the judge instructed the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) to provide Rs 10.5 lakh as financial assistance to the survivor.
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According to the case details, the two men lured the four-year-old student of an English-medium school located inside the Army AD College premises January 2 and sexually assaulted her inside the school bus. The victim’s grandmother, who was waiting at the bus stop, heard the child’s cries and rushed inside the vehicle, where she found her granddaughter in a distressing state.
The family immediately took the child to MKCG Medical College and Hospital for treatment. After her condition stabilised, the girl’s parents complained to Gopalpur police station January 3, leading to the registration of a case (02/25) under the POCSO Act. During the investigation, police established the involvement of the bus driver, Jayes Kumar, and the helper, Haseldar Munda. Both were arrested January 4 and remanded to judicial custody.
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The investigating officer, Suchitra Parida, IIC of Baidyanathpur police station, submitted the chargesheet after recording the statements of witnesses and survivor. The court examined seven witnesses and considered the medical report submitted by Dr Sudipa Dash, head of the Forensic Medicine and Toxicology Department at MKCG Medical College. After analysing the evidence, Judge Pattnaik convicted both accused and delivered the sentence Friday. Special Public Prosecutor Narayan Panda represented the state in the case.
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