Life term for rapist after girl, 8, testifies

AGRA: A Pocso court in Aligarh sentenced a man, in his late 30s, to life imprisonment for raping and physically assaulting an eight-year-old girl on Nov 16, 2020, near a brick kiln, where he worked and the survivor's family lived. Court found Shailesh Manjhi, of Bihar's Nalanda district, guilty under IPC sections 376 (rape), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and Pocso Act. It also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on him, reports Mohammad Dilshad.

The survivor, who was eight at the time, testified that she was playing when Manjhi lured her with a story about burying toffees. He took her under a neem tree, removed her clothes, and "did bad things", she told the court. When she screamed, he punched her in the face, injuring her eyes, and strangled her before fleeing.