Ranaghat nun rape case: Bangladeshi native awarded imprisonment till death

On March 14, 2015, a 72-year-old nun at the Convent of Jesus and Mary at Ranaghat in Nadia was “gang-raped” by seven people after she attempted to stall their robbery bid. (Representational photo)

A sessions court in Kolkata on Wednesday sentenced a Bangladeshi man, Nazrul Islam alias Naju, to life imprisonment till death for raping a septuagenarian nun during a robbery at a convent in Ranaghat in 2015.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Kumkum Sinha on Tuesday convicted Nazrul Islam of rape while five others of the seven-member gang were also held guilty. One accused is still on the run.

Four accused – Milan Kumar Sarkar, Ohidul Islam, Mohammad Salim Sheikh and Kholadar Rahaman – were convicted for robbery and have been awarded ten years of imprisonment. Gopal Sarkar, who was held guilty for harbouring the accused, has been handed a seven-year prison term. All six accused have been convicted under Section 120B (criminal conspiracy), while five have also been held guilty under Section 395 (dacoity) of the IPC.

On March 14, 2015, a 72-year-old nun at the Convent of Jesus and Mary at Ranaghat in Nadia was “gang-raped” by seven people after she attempted to stall their robbery bid. However, the accused managed to decamp with cash and valuables worth Rs 6 lakh. A case was registered at Gangapur police station the same day. Later, the investigation was handed over to the CID.

Soon after taking charge, the CID arrested the six accused. In June 2015, the agency had submitted its first chargesheet, followed by another in September. The main accused Nazrul Islam was arrested on June 17, 2015 from Sealdah railway station. While the chargesheet had mentioned “gang rape”, the court concluded only one person — Nazrul — had raped the nun. A total of 42 witnesses were examined and cross-examined in the case. The trial started on September 9, 2016, and arguments continued from June 17, 2017 till October 30, 2017.