Man gets 20 years’ jail for raping minor in Haridwar

Haridwar: A fast-track court here on Friday sentenced a 29-year-old man to 20 years’ imprisonment for raping a 15-year-old girl in 2022 and making her pregant. The convict, Himanshu Kamle, a daily wager and resident of Saraswati Vihar in Meerut, was also fined Rs 15,000.

Additional district judge Chandramani Rai directed the state govt to pay Rs 5 lakh compensation to the victim within a month.The case dates back to Sept 2022, when the girl, who lived with her family in a rented house in the City Kotwali area, fell ill and was taken to a private hospital, where an ultrasound examination revealed that she was six weeks pregnant.When questioned by her family, she alleged that Kamle, who lived in a rented accommodation in the city, had been molesting her for some time and eventually raped her after finding her alone at home. He had also threatened to kill her if she revealed the assault to anyone, said govt counsel Bhupendra Chauhan.Following a complaint by the victim’s elder brother, police arrested the accused. During the trial, the prosecution examined 11 witnesses, while the defence produced one witness.