Mizoram Court Sentences Two BSF Personnel to 42 Years for 2017 Rape and Acid Attack

Aizawl: A local court in Mizoram has sentenced two Border Security Force personnel to 42 years of rigorous imprisonment for the gang rape and acid attack of a woman in 2017. Additional District and Sessions Judge Sylvie Zomuanpuii Ralte delivered the verdict on Tuesday, following the conviction of Nilanjan Das and Dinesh Kumar on June 12.

The court ordered the sentences for the individual charges to run consecutively, resulting in a total term of 42 years for each convict. This includes 20 years for gang rape, 10 years for rape resulting in grievous bodily harm, and 12 years for the acid attack. The judge also imposed a fine of Rs 60,000 on each man, with a provision for two additional months of imprisonment for each offence if the fines remain unpaid.

The incident occurred on July 16, 2017, near the Gaskata river in Silsuri West village. The survivor and her companion, Rangobi, were foraging for food when they encountered the two BSF jawans, who were stationed at a nearby camp along the border. The survivor testified that the men dragged her to a betel nut plantation, where they assaulted her and poured a corrosive substance on her face. The attack left the woman with permanent facial disfigurement and the loss of vision in one eye.

The court placed heavy reliance on the survivor’s testimony, noting that her account was “reliable, consistent and credible.” The prosecution supported this narrative with forensic evidence recovered from the victim’s clothing and the testimony of 18 witnesses, including medical experts and local residents. The survivor also identified both defendants during a judicial identification parade held in September 2017.

Although the BSF personnel were charged in connection with the death of the survivor's companion, whose body was discovered near the crime scene several days later, the court acquitted them of murder. Judge Ralte ruled that the prosecution failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the two men were responsible for the killing, citing a lack of sufficient circumstantial evidence linking them to the homicide.