Assam: 3 sentenced to death for rape & murder of minor girls

Guwahati, April 8 (IANS) A court in Assam on Friday sentenced to death three persons convicted for their involvement in the rape and murder of two minor girls last year, officials said.

The District and Sessions Court in Assam's Kokrajhar handed death sentence to Farizul Rahman, Najibul Ali Sheik and Muzamil Sheik for rape and murder of two minor girls of the same family belonging to a tribal community.

The teenaged girls were found hanging from a tree in a forest in Abhayakuti village in Kokrajhar district on June 11 last year.

The trio was arrested three days later.

After the court order, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted: "Hon. Sessions Court, Kokrajhar awarded death sentence to accused Muzamil, Najibul & Farizul in the gruesome case of rape & murder of two tribal minor girls. I visited the family on June 13 (last year), and had directed L.R. Bishnoi to form SIT and take the case to it's logical conclusion."

Soon after the Chief Minister's directions, Bishnoi, Special Director General of Police, formed a Special Investigation Team and filed chargesheet in the case.

Reportedly, three convicted persons were directly involved in the rape and murder, while four others, who were also arrested, had destroyed evidence and misled the police in the course of the investigation.

One of the convicts, Farizul Rahman was grievously injured in police firing while attempting to flee from the police custody.