Dehradun: A 45-year-old man in Uttarakhand has been sentenced to 30 years of rigorous imprisonment after being found guilty of repeatedly raping his two minor daughters and a minor son. The verdict was delivered by Anuj Kumar Sangal, judge of the POCSO court in Champawat, on Tuesday.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1.25 lakh on the accused, who hails from Nepal. As part of the judgment, each of the three survivors will receive Rs 40,000 as compensation from the fine amount, government counsel Vidyadhar Joshi informed the media.
The disturbing case
The survivors include two daughters aged 15 and 13 years, as well as their 10-year-old brother. The man, a laborer, lived alone with his children after his wife abandoned him due to his violent behavior and excessive drinking habits. According to the prosecution, he repeatedly assaulted his children and threatened them with dire consequences if they revealed the abuse.
The case came to light when the daughters fled their home and were found wandering near Banbasa police station. When authorities attempted to take them back home, they refused, revealing that their father routinely came home drunk and physically assaulted them.
Following this, the police took the girls to a shelter home for minors, where they recounted their harrowing ordeal to Manju Pandey, in-charge of the Banbasa unit’s anti-human trafficking cell. Their revelations led to the arrest of their father, while the 10-year-old son was moved to a shelter home in Haridwar.
Legal proceedings & conviction
The accused has been in Almora jail since September 2021, awaiting trial. After extensive legal proceedings, the POCSO court held him guilty under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and POCSO Act, including section 376 – Rape by an individual in a position of trust or authority, section 376-AB – Rape of a child below 12 years, section 323 – Voluntarily causing hurt, section 504 – Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace.
The conviction marks a crucial step in ensuring justice for child abuse survivors, reaffirming the strict stance of Indian courts against heinous crimes committed within families.
Societal impact & response
Meanwhile, this case has sent shockwaves across the community, highlighting the need for better child protection mechanisms and vigilance against abuse within households. Officials have urged citizens to report suspicious activities and instances of child endangerment without delay, emphasizing the importance of community awareness and intervention. Advocacy groups continue to push for stronger rehabilitation programs for survivors and psychological counseling to help them recover from the trauma.
