Life for hill gang rape

VIVEK CHHETRI, TT, Darjeeling, March 22: A court here today sentenced a 58-year-old man to life imprisonment for his involvement in the gang rape of a teenaged girl in Kurseong in 1999.

Arjun Bomzom was awarded the maximum punishment permissible under the law for gang rape by district and session judge Anant Kumar Kapri.

Another man had also been arrested along with Bomzom for kidnapping and raping the 18-year-old girl and he died a natural death a few years ago. Two others involved in the case are absconding.

The judge had on Wednesday convicted Bomzom, a resident of Maneydhara in Gayabari, of gang rape under Section 376 (2) (g) of the IPC and kidnapping under Section 366 of the IPC. The convict has been sentenced to life term for the gang rape and 10 years of imprisonment for the abduction.

Gayabari is 50km from Darjeeling.

Public prosecutor Vinod Agarwal said: “Life imprisonment is the maximum sentence permissible under the legal system in the country for gang rape. The sentence for a gang rape convict will not be less than 10 years and can go up to life imprisonment. Bomzon has also been asked to pay a fine of Rs 10, 000 in each of the sentences, failing which he will have to undergo a jail term of another one year.”

According to Agarwal, Bomzon and four of his friends had kidnapped the girl from the Kurseong Motor Stand area on August 4, 1999.

Bomzon and three of his friends pushed the girl into a Maruti Omni and sped away that night. “The four men took her to Monteviot Bypass in Kurseong. Bomzon and one Ram Chhetri started raping the girl while the other two stood guard,” said Agarwal.

Chhetri, who was 31 then, was a resident of Sudhabatol in Kurseong. “The police were informed about the kidnapping and reached the spot. The girl was rescued and Bomzon and Chhetri were arrested. The two other men who were standing guard outside the car managed to flee and are still absconding,” said Agarwal.

Sources said Chhetri had died a natural death a few years ago.