Two get life term for burning youth alive in Uttar Pradesh's Gonda

Gonda, Uttar Pradesh: A local court in Uttar Pradesh's Gonda district has sentenced two men to rigorous life imprisonment for burning a youth alive in 2019, a lawyer said on Friday.

Each convict was also fined Rs 1.26 lakh, failing which they would face additional imprisonment, the lawyer said.

Two other accused persons in the case were acquitted for want of evidence.

Assistant district government counsel (Criminal) Amit Kumar Pathak said the incident took place on May 14, 2019, when Vishnu Goswami and Mahesh Goswami were at a shop on the Gonda's Faizabad road.

The accused, Tufail, Ramzan alias Master, Nizamuddin (all residents of Chishtipur), and Imran (resident of Khorhansa) allegedly approached them, picked a fight and then poured petrol on Vishnu from a nearby tanker and set him ablaze.

Witnesses, including Mahesh Goswami, Rajkumar Pandey, and Pankaj Pandey, tried to extinguish the flames, and Vishnu was rushed to the district hospital, being later referred to Lucknow, where he succumbed to his burn injuries on May 19, Pathak said.

The investigation culminated in a chargesheet against all four accused persons.

On the basis of witness testimonies, medical records, and circumstantial evidence, Additional District and Sessions Judge (III) Rajesh Kumar convicted Tufail and Imran for murder whereas Nizamuddin and Ramzan were acquitted due to insufficient evidence on June 19, Pathak said.

The court also directed half of the fine to be paid as compensation to the victim's family and that the time undergone by the convicts in custody would be counted towards their sentence, he added. PTI KIS AMK AMK