Death Sentence for Man Who Killed Toddler After Rejected Proposal
A court in Firozabad, Uttar Pradesh, has sentenced a 28-year-old man to death for the murder of an 18-month-old boy. The court described the case as falling under the 'rarest of rare' category, a legal standard required for imposing capital punishment in India.
The convict, identified as Jitendra Pathak alias Viraj, was found guilty of the murder that occurred on May 30. According to prosecutors, Pathak killed the child after the boy's mother rejected his marriage proposal. The child was slammed onto the ground multiple times, leading to his death.
The verdict was delivered within 40 days of the incident. District Government Counsel Rajeev Kumar Upadhyay confirmed that the court deemed the case fit for the 'rarest of rare' classification, resulting in the death penalty.
During the trial, the prosecution presented CCTV footage of the attack, which had earlier gone viral on social media, as key evidence. The footage showed Pathak taking the child to a deserted road and repeatedly striking him against the ground.
Police investigations revealed that the child's mother, Rati Sharma (24), had rejected Pathak's marriage proposal, stating that she already had a son and would not abandon him. Pathak, according to police, considered the child an obstacle to establishing a relationship with her.
The child's grandmother, Anusuiya Sharma, who filed the complaint, expressed relief at the verdict. 'We are relieved that the court has sentenced the accused to death for a horrific crime that was captured on camera,' she said. She added that the family would continue to push for the sentence to be carried out.
Defence counsel, who requested anonymity, stated they would appeal the judgment before a higher court.
The case highlights the swift action by law enforcement, with a chargesheet filed within six days of the incident. Pathak was arrested hours after the murder in an encounter where he sustained gunshot wounds to both legs.
