Guwahati, Oct 14 The Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) of Assam’s Hailakandi district has ordered that a 17-year-old boy accused in the alleged rape and murder of a girl be tried as an adult, police said on Wednesday.
The JJB Principal Magistrate passed an order on Tuesday that the trial of the Child-in-Conflict with Law (CCL) would be conducted as an adult, after considering the heinous nature of the alleged crime, a psychological assessment report, a preliminary assessment report from Silchar Medical College and Hospital and an offence report submitted by the investigating officer, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Amitabh Sinha said.
The JJB order comes more than two months after the 16-year-old girl was found dead in her home on the night of August 1 under Katlicherra police station jurisdiction.
Sinha said the boy was 17 years and five months old during the incident and police detained him in the first week of August.
A case was registered at Katlicherra police station under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including section 65(1) (rape of a girl under the age of 16) and section 103(1) (murder), along with section 6 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.
The incident had triggered widespread protests across Assam’s Barak Valley, with residents blocking National Highway-6 and demanding capital punishment for those involved.
The SSP said that they had initially detained five persons following the incident and one of the accused was a minor.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed to investigate the matter, and a detailed chargesheet against the five accused, including one juvenile, was submitted to the court in September after examining forensic and medico-legal evidence, witness statements, digital records and materials seized from the crime scene, he said.
According to lawyers, under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, a child aged between 16 and 18 accused of a heinous offence may undergo a preliminary assessment to determine whether an adult trial is necessary.
The juvenile justice board determines whether the case should proceed as an adult trial.
The victim’s family members said they were thankful that the allegations were taken seriously and hoped that none involved in the crime would escape punishment.
(PTI News)
