Tinsukia court orders rigorous imprisonment and lifer for rape & murder convict Bikash Das

Our Correspondent

TINSUKIA: The Court of Session Judge Tinsukia in a sensational rape-and-murder case on moving train, convicted Bikash Das of Guijan Tinsukia to undergo rigorous imprisonment (RI) for 10 years for the offence of rape and imprisonment for life for the offence of murder of Lalima Devi. He is also sentenced to pay a fine of Rs. 50,000 each for the offence of rape and murder and in default of payment of the fine, he shall undergo another period of imprisonment for 6 months respectively. The judge acquitted another co-accused Bipin Panday as he was not found guilty of any of the charges. The prosecution side has examined as many as 21 witnesses.

The prosecution case in brief stated that the body of Lalima Devi aged 48 years and mother of two sons was found in the toilet of Avadh Assam Express at Mariani station on July 11, 2018, to which she boarded alone at Banipur station of Dibrugarh for her journey to Bihar. The accused duo after committing the crime in between Banipur and Panitola stations disembarked at New Tinsukia station. Bikash Das was arrested by Tinsukia GRP from New Tinsukia station on July 12. The police could make significant breakthrough from CCTV footage and was successful to nab the suspect within 24 hours.

The police were perplexed over similar nature of crime on running train under Tinsukia Railway Division which was committed the previous day on the Dibrugarh-Rangia Express in which a brilliant student of Assam Agricultural University, Radha Kumari was raped and murdered and her body dumped in the toilet of the coach and the same person was allegedly involved in the gruesome crime. Even as Bikash Das had confessed to having committed the offence before the Sibsagar Police, the case is awaiting judgement in Sibsagar Court.

In his judgement, the Session Judge P.J. Saikia noted, “There is no doubt that a man like Bikash Das is a menace to the society. He had raped a 48-year old woman who was travelling alone in a train and then committed her murder. In our country woman are not safe for the people like the convict. A man like Bikash Das does not deserve to live free in the society. There are no mitigating circumstances in his favour, whereas aggravating circumstances galore against him. The convict deserves to be given adequate punishment.”

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