Brahmapur: A fast-track Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court in Brahmapur on Tuesday sentenced a 65-year-old man to death for murdering his 12-year-old niece by setting her ablaze in Ganjam district in 2022.
Pronouncing the sentence, Fast-Track Special Court Judge Rohit Lal Panda held that the case fell under the “rarest of rare” category.
The convict, identified as Sipirian Digal of Pirigada village in Kandhamal district, was ordered to be hanged till death. The sentence will require confirmation by the Orissa High Court before it can be carried out, according to Special Public Prosecutor Siba Prasad Mishra.
According to the prosecution, the incident took place on April 25, 2022, at the victim’s residence in Bidyanagar under Baidyanathpur police station limits in Brahmapur. Digal allegedly poured kerosene on the 12-year-old girl and set her on fire, leading to her death.
A case was registered the following day on charges of rape and murder, and the accused was arrested on April 26, 2022.
The court delivered its conviction on Monday and pronounced the quantum of punishment on Tuesday after examining 13 prosecution witnesses, including doctors and investigating police officers, the prosecutor said.
Police sources said Digal had earlier been arrested in Kandhamal district for allegedly murdering his wife and was out on bail when the offence against his niece was committed.
