Lalmonirhat Man Sentenced To Life Imprisonment For Rape

The Lalmonirhat Prevention of Violence Against Children Tribunal has officially sentenced a local man to life imprisonment following his conviction for the rape of a fifth-grade schoolgirl. On Monday afternoon, 18 May 2026, the presiding judge of the tribunal, Sessions Judge Nityananda Sarkar, pronounced the definitive judicial verdict in a packed courtroom. Alongside the mandatory life sentence, the court imposed a financial penalty of 10,000 taka on the convict. In the event of non-payment or default of this fine, the individual will be legally required to serve an additional three months of simple imprisonment.

The convicted individual has been formally identified as 42-year-old Anath Chandra Barman. He is the son of Kamini Kanta Barman, residing in the Purbo Saptana Mazhapara neighbourhood situated within the Lalmonirhat municipality. According to court officials, the convict was physically present in the dock throughout the reading of the final judgment and showed no visible reaction as the sentence was handed down.

Case History and Investigative Summary

The origins of the criminal case trace back to the afternoon of 26 May 2016. According to the formal police First Information Report (FIR) and evidence presented before the tribunal, the victim, a minor female student enrolled in the fifth grade of a local primary school, was left completely unattended at her family residence. Exploiting this vulnerability, Anath Chandra Barman, who was a direct neighbour of the household, entered the premises unlawfully.

The prosecution established that the assailant gagged the minor girl to prevent her from raising an alarm before subjectting her to a brutal assault. Later that evening, the victim’s parents returned to the residence only to discover their daughter lying heavily bleeding and severely traumatised in the outer courtyard. Recognizing the critical nature of her physical condition, the parents rushed her immediately to the Lalmonirhat Sadar Hospital for emergency treatment. Owing to the sheer severity of her internal injuries, medical officers promptly transferred the child to the more advanced facilities of the Rangpur Medical College Hospital for specialised medical care and forensic examination.

On the very same day of the incident, the victim’s father filed a formal criminal complaint at the Lalmonirhat Sadar Police Station, initiating a rape investigation under the relevant provisions of the Prevention of Women and Children Repression Act. Following an accelerated manhunt, police investigators successfully apprehended Anath Chandra Barman on 3 June 2016, placing him under institutional arrest and producing him before the judicial magistrate. Upon completing a thorough investigative process and collecting relevant forensic reports, the investigating officer formally submitted a comprehensive charge sheet against the accused to the court on 29 August 2016.

Long Judicial Process and Formal Conviction

The legal proceedings spanned nearly a decade due to extensive evidentiary requirements and consecutive witness depositions. Following a rigorous trial phase during which the prosecution successfully established guilt beyond any reasonable doubt, the judge delivered the life sentence. The written order specified that the total duration the convict has already spent in pre-trial detention and ongoing custody will be formally deducted from his ultimate prison term, in accordance with standard penal guidelines.

Following the adjournment of the tribunal, Inspector Amirul Islam, the Court Police Inspector for Lalmonirhat, confirmed to members of the press that the convict had been heavily escorted out of the court premises under strict security. The police official stated that Barman was transported directly to the Lalmonirhat District Jail to commence his life sentence. Members of the victim’s family, who attended the final court session, expressed their deep satisfaction with the judicial outcome, stating that the long-awaited verdict successfully served legal justice for their daughter.