Gujarat man who raped, brutalised 6-year-old with iron rod awarded death sentence

A special court in Gujarat's Rajkot district has awarded the death sentence to a man who raped a six-year-old girl and inserted a rod in her private parts. The trial in the case was completed in less than 45 days, or 1.5 months, since the commission of the offence.

While Special Court Judge VA Rana delivered the verdict on January 12, the punishment was pronounced on Saturday.

The sexual assault took place near Atkot on December 4 when the girl, while playing outside, was dragged into nearby bushes and strangled by Ramsingh Dudwa, a father of three. The brutality left the child bleeding and writhing in pain. The convict was arrested four days later, on December 8. The police completed the investigation and promptly filed the chargesheet, all within 11 days.

Meanwhile, the girl's father wrote a detailed letter to the court requesting that the accused be immediately charged and severely punished. Taking into account the gravity of the situation and the seriousness of the incident, the court ordered the case to be heard on a daily basis. The recording of evidence before the court was completed in just six days.

Speaking about the case, Gujarat's Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghvi posted on X: "Clear message from the Gujarat Government: An attack on our daughters means the end of your life. As Deputy Chief Minister & Home Minister, I state this clearly: Gujarat has zero tolerance for crimes against women and children."

Highlighting the expedited timeframe in which the case was dealt with, he further said, "In the Atkot POCSO case, justice is delivered within just 40 days from FIR to conviction. This shows that in Gujarat, criminals will not escape by delaying the law." Sanghvi, while lauding the police personnel and prosecutors involved in the case, thanked the judiciary for "swift and strong action" in the matter. "Gujarat stands firmly with every daughter," he added.

- Ends