Gangrape case: two members of Prez Body Guards get life term

New Delhi, Aug 22 (PTI) Two suspended members of elite
President's Body Guards (PBG) were on Saturday awarded
rigorous life imprisonment by a Delhi court in connection with
the gangrape of a 17-year-old Delhi University student here in
2003.

Harpreet Singh and Satyender Singh, who were held
guilty on the charge of gangrape, were awarded the maximum
punishment of life imprisonment by Additional Sessions Judge S
K Sarvaria.

The other two members of the prestigious guards
Kuldeep Singh and Manish Kumar, who were absolved of the
charge of gangrape but convicted for robbery, kidnapping and
helping their colleagues in ravishing the girl, were sentenced
to 10 years rigorous imprisonment.

The crime was committed when the Delhi University
student, along with her boyfriend Ashish, had gone to Buddha
Jayanti park in the backyard of the Presidential Palace
complex on October six, 2003, to watch a programme of the
Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama.

She was detained and robbed by the four convicts
before being raped by Harpreet and Satyender while the other
two kept watch.

The pronouncement of the punishment came five days
after the four bodyguards were found guilty.

The court had earlier on August 17 convicted the four
accused in the case which came to be known as Buddha Jayanti
gangrape case.

All the four convicts have been in judicial custody
since their arrest in 2003.

The prosecution had examined 25 witnesses, including
the victim and her friend, to establish its case.

According to the prosecution, the convicts had first
roughed up the victim's friend and then took her to a secluded
place inside the park and robbed her. Two of the convicts had
raped her. PTI SJK
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