(MENAFN- IANS) Kolkata, July 4 (IANS) A special court in West Bengal's Malda district on Friday sentenced Rafikul Islam a.k.a Bhelu, the first convict in one of the 2021 post-poll violence cases in West Bengal that were investigated by the Central Bureau of India (CBI), to life imprisonment.

He was convicted on Wednesday by a special court for Posco cases after he was found guilty of charges in the rape of a minor girl of just nine years old at Manikchak in Malda.

The convict is a retired teacher of a state-run school in West Bengal, and he was the first convict in one of many cases relating to the 2021 post-poll violence in West Bengal.

Bhelu was booked under various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso), 2012 and on Friday, the court convicted him to life imprisonment, CBI counsel Amitabha Moitra said.

"The statements of a total of 22 witnesses were recorded in the court during the trial process. Finally, the accused has been sentenced to life imprisonment," he added.

Bhelu was found guilty of the offense under Section 6 of the Pocso Act and Section 376AB of the earlier Indian Penal Code (IPC) for committing rape on a minor girl.

The CBI investigation revealed he raped the minor girl on the evening of June 4, 2021, while she was playing in the mango orchard of the accused.

He was charged with raping the minor after alluring her with money and both the victim and the eyewitnesses deposed strongly about the incident of rape before the special Pocso court.

The convict specially targeted the victim, since the latter's family members were known as active BJP supporters in the Manikchak area. Several events of post-poll violence were reported from different pockets of West Bengal after the results of the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections were announced in May of that year.

The CBI took over the investigation following an order of the Calcutta High Court.

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