A court in Assam’s Biswanath pronounced death sentence to a convict in rape and murder of a minor girl under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Mangal Paik, the convict raped and killed a 5-year-old girl at Dikorai in Biswanath district in 2018.

Biswanath Additional District Session and Judge Court ordered death sentence to the man on Monday.

The judgement has been welcomed by the local residents.

Earlier, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had launched a toll-free helpline ‘181-Sakhi’ for women in distress and the Gauhati High Court approved the proposal for setting up exclusive fast-track courts for trial of cases related to rape and murder of women and children in Assam.