Balasore: A special POCSO court in Balasore district sentenced Monday a teacher to 20 years rigorous imprisonment after convicting him for raping a minor girl student. The convict was identified as Basant Das (59). POCSO court judge Ranjan Kumar Sutar also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on the convicted teacher. If he fails to shell out the amount, Basant will have to undergo an additional two years in prison.
The court also ordered the District Legal Services Authority to provide Rs 4 lakh financial assistance to the victim’s family, informed public prosecutor (PP) Pranab Kumar Panda who represented the state in the case.
According to police reports, Basant, a resident of Rampur area in Balasore district, had raped the minor girl at his residence under Simulia police limits alluring her with chocolates in 2019. When the incident happened, the girl was alone in the house and Basant took full advantage of the situation. He also threatened the girl with dire consequences if she informed anyone about the incident. However, when her parents returned home, the girl narrated her ordeal to them following which a police complaint was lodged. Police then nabbed Basant.