Muzaffarpur case: Convict claims innocence, threatens to commit suicide in jail
New Delhi: There was high drama in court Monday when the judge read out the convictions in the case of physical and sexual assault of girls in a shelter home in Bihar's Muzaffarpur.
Just as additional sessions judge Saurabh Kulshrestha convicted the 19 accused, one of them, Ravi Roshan, the former child protection officer of Muzaffarpur, broke down.
“I have not done any of the crimes told by you. I have not committed such shameful acts on the girls. You are sending me to jail for these acts. I will commit suicide inside the jail," he said to the judge.
The judge asked his counsel to console the convict. “Where is his counsel? I request the investigating officer and the jail authorities to please take him out,” he said, adding to the convict, “You can approach the higher court against this judgment. It is your right.”
Ravi Roshan was held guilty for the offences of aggravated penetrative sexual assault under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, criminal conspiracy, rape, gang-rape, causing hurt, abetment to rape under the Indian Penal Code, and section 75 (cruelty to children) of the Juvenile Justice Act.
Just when Ravi Roshan threatened to end his life, some of the female convicts also started crying, upon which the judge sternly directed the investigating officer and the jail authorities to take them out of the courtroom.
“Please take them out. I don't want all the convicts to now start crying one by one,” said the judge.
All the 19 accused were taken out of the courtroom. Their counsel told them they would challenge the verdict in the higher court.
The case was transferred, in February 2019, from a local court in Muzaffarpur to a POCSO court in the Saket district court complex in Delhi upon a directive by the Supreme court.
The matter of sexual abuse of girl inmates came to light on May 26, 2018 after the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) submitted a report to the Bihar government highlighting the alleged sexual abuse of minor girls in the shelter home time. The report was submitted to the Bihar Social Welfare Department by TISS in February that year.
