Jatra actor gets 20-yr jail term for minor’s rape

Kendrapada: A 29-year-old jatra actor was sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment for kidnapping and raping a minor actress in Jagatsinghpur district. The verdict was pronounced by a local court on Wednesday.The convict, Deba Narayan Debnath, was found guilty under multiple sections of the IPC and Pocso Act, 2012. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 55,000 on Debnath. He will have to undergo an additional 11-month sentence if he fails to pay the fine.According to special public prosecutor Dolagobinda Das, the case dates back to Dec 2023 when the 16-year-old girl went missing. Her grandmother filed a police complaint on Dec 27, suspecting Debnath's involvement.Police located both the accused and the girl on Dec 31 in a rented house in Bhadrak. Investigation revealed that Debnath had kidnapped the girl and sexually assaulted her multiple times. Judge Ajay Kumar Mohanty also directed the Odisha State Legal Services Authority (OSLSA) to provide Rs 5 lakh compensation to the girl.