2 guards get life term for raping woman in Cubbon Park

Two security guards have been sentenced to life imprisonment until death and fined Rs 50,000 each for raping a woman in Cubbon Park, central Bengaluru, in November 2015.

M Latha Kumar, the 54th City Civil and Sessions Court judge, found Raju Medhi, 28, and Bolin Das, 38, both from Assam, guilty of raping the woman from Tumakuru.

On that fateful day, the victim had come to the Cubbon Park to apply for the membership of the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association but she found the KSLTA office closed as working hours were over by then. Since it was dark, she didn't know the way out. Standing near the KSLTA office, she asked Medhi and Das for help.

But the guards took advantage of the situation. They took her to an isolated place in the park on the pretext of showing her the way out and raped her. The woman somehow reached Siddalingaiah Circle later in the night. She was crying, drawing the attention of patrolmen from the Cubbon Park police. She told them what had happened. Police opened a case and arrested the guards.

Speaking to DH, Public Prosecutor Chinna Venkataravanappa said the court deemed it a heinous crime and sentenced the guards to life imprisonment until death. The judge also ordered the state government to pay Rs 2 lakh as compensation to the victim. The convicts have no right to release even on good conduct.