Kochi: The mother of the victim in the Aluva rape and murder case on Tuesday expressed her satisfaction with the quantum of punishment awarded to the convict.
"Our pain is not going to subside. Ashfaq Alam should be executed immediately if we need some peace of mind. He should not be allowed to reside in prison for long," she said. She added that her daughter's soul could rest in peace only after the capital punishment is executed.
The victim's father said that through the verdict, justice was served to his daughter and family. "We got good support from the government, local residents and authorities. We are happy with the verdict," he said.
He added that they were planning to stay in the state of Kerala for their children's education. "We'll go to our town and visit Banaras for a month. But we shall be back here for the sake of our children's education," he said.
A migrant worker convicted in the sensational Aluva child rape and murder case was given death sentence on Tuesday by a special court here, 110 days after the commission of the heinous act that sent shock waves across the southern state.
Judge K Soman, presiding over the Special POCSO (Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences) court, also handed down five life terms to convict Ashfaq Alam, a Bihar native, for various charges including rape and aggravated penetrative sexual assault under the Indian Penal Code and the POCSO Act, respectively. Public prosecutor (PP) G Mohanraj said the execution of the death sentence is contingent upon confirmation by the Kerala High Court.
The POCSO court ordered the life term would mean the convict should stay in prison for the rest of his natural life, he said.
The court also imposed a fine of over Rs six lakh on the convict, he said, and expressed satisfaction with the sentence.
Alam had on July 28 lured the girl by promising her sweets and thereafter, had brutally raped and killed her, before dumping the body in a garbage strewn marshy area behind a local market in nearby Aluva. The child lived with her parents in the same building as did the convict.