Tripura: Brothers get 20 years in jail for raping minor girl  

Agartala: The Dharmanagar Special Court in Tripura on Tuesday sentenced two brothers to 20 years in prison each for raping a minor girl in 2022.

The convicts were identified as Prashanta Debnath and Pappu Debnath.

The incident occurred when the victim minor girl who is a student in Anandabazar of Tripura’s North District went to fetch water at a familiar house on her way home.

“It was there that Prashant Debnath reportedly lured her inside and raped her. His younger brother, Pappu witnessed it and started blackmailing her and raped her several times”, said advocate Sadarshan Sharma.

He said that the case was officially registered on February 12, 2022, at the Dharmanagar police station.

“Sub-inspector Usharani Debnath from the Dharmanagar Woman Police Station was appointed as the investigating officer and managed to submit the inquiry report within two months. During the trial, testimony from 23 neighbours provided vital evidence against the accused. The special court, citing Section 376(2)(N) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), sentenced Prashant to ten years in prison and an additional six months without the option of paying a fine of Rs 10,000. Pappu received a one-year sentence, with a Rs 1,000 fine and an additional month of imprisonment under Section 506 of the IPC”, he said.

Moreover, the court imposed a cumulative sentence of 20 years for both brothers under Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, along with an additional eight months in default of payment.