Victim’s family against legal reprieve for rapist

BARA, March 19: The family members of a seven-year-old girl, who was raped and murdered, have expressed concerns over legal provisions under which the punishment for rapist could be lessened.

The District Court in Bara on Tuesday, in what has been hailed as a landmark verdict, had slapped 28-year-old Kanhaiya Gupta with 35-year jail term and a fine of Rs 200,000.

The girl’s family members, however, said that the guilty might get legal reprieve and his prison term could be lessened.

“We were relieved by the verdict though our demand for capital punishment was not met,” the victim’s parents said, adding, “As the life of our daughter was nipped in the bud, his sins cannot be forgiven and should not be allowed to go free before serving his prison term.” They also demanded that the guilty serve his full prison term.

As per the legal provision, in a case where a convict has served half of jail term and shows considerable change in their behaviour and attitude, the person can apply for legal reprieve and can be set free by the government on the recommendation of the concerned prison authority.

Meanwhile, police arrested 30-year-old man on attempted rape charge in Bajura on Tuesday. The accused, Dil Bahadur Rokaya, allegedly attempted to rape a 17-year-old girl staying at her rented room in Martadi, the district headquarters of Bajura, to prepare for the SLC examinations.

Rokaya, a permanent resident of Sappata-1, broke into the girl’s room and tried to rape her brandishing a khukuri. Police said they have filed an attempted rape charge against Rokaya at the district court.