VILLUPURAM: Six Pondicherry policemen were awarded life imprisonment on Friday for the rape of an Irula woman.

Villupuram district sessions court judge N. Rathina Raj awarded the sentence.

The police personnel, who went in search of an accused, outraged the modesty of a resident of Athiyur in Ginjee taluk (she was then 18 years) on July 29, 1993.

Those involved in the crime were sub-inspector Nallam Krishnaraya Babu, assistant sub-inspector V. Rajaram, head constable K. Sasikumar Nair and constables G. Padmanaban, K.Munusamy and G. Subbarayan.

All of them were convicted on three counts: they were sentenced to undergo life imprisonment and ordered to pay a fine of Rs. 25,000, failing which they get six months additional jail term; seven years rigorous imprisonment under Section 366 of the IPC (abduction), and one year imprisonment under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, all to run concurrently.

Panel finding

A fact-finding committee comprising advocate R. Selvaraj; rights activists P. Kalyani, G. Sugumaran, Sister Lusina and V.S. Sampandam of the Dravidar Kazhagam found that it was a case of rape.

The inquiry conducted by the then District Revenue Officer N. Jagadesan confirmed it.

Subsequently, CB-CID inspector G. Harikrishnan filed a 209-page charge sheet in court. Protest by photographers

When press photographers tried to take pictures of the accused, the latter spat on them.

In protest, the photographers staged a road roko on the Villupuram-Chennai highway.

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