Ashfaq Alam, the convict in the rape and murder of a five-year-old migrant girl in Kerala’s Aluva, has been awarded capital punishment by the Ernakulam POCSO Court on Tuesday, November 14, which also happens to be Childrens’ Day. The 28-year-old Bihar migrant was found guilty by the court, on November 4, of sexually assaulting and murdering the child. According to reports, Additional District and Sessions Judge K Soman, while imposing capital punishment, observed that the crime was one of the ‘rarest of rare’ cases and Ashfaq did not deserve any leniency for the crime he committed.
On July 28, he had kidnapped the child from her home when her parents were not present. Both of them are migrant labourers from Bihar. Ashfaq was arrested the same night based on CCTV footage that showed him taking the child away. Her body was recovered from an abandoned spot behind the Aluva market the next day.
The charge sheet in the case was filed within 30 days and the trial began at the Ernakulam POCSO Court on October 4, which was concluded in 26 days. Ashfaq faced 16 charges against him, including that of rape, murder, kidnap, aggravated penetrative sexual assault and was booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the POCSO Act. Stating that all the charges levelled against him have been proven, the prosecution had reportedly sought for maximum punishment.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan congratulated the police and the prosecution for completing the investigation within 100 days. The CM also said that the sentence which came on Children's Day was “a strong warning for those who abuse children”. “Any violence against children is unacceptable by a civilised society. Action will be taken against such people without any prejudice. This court verdict is also a strong warning for those who engage in such inhuman crimes,” he said.
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