Key Points

A MIZORAM DISTRICT COURT has sentenced two Border Security Force (BSF) soldiers to 42 years imprisonment for the gang-rape and brutal acid attack of a local tribal woman in 2017. On Tuesday, June 16, 2026, court held the two accused — Nilanjan Das and Dinesh Kumar —  guilty for a crime they committed nine years back, and seeing the severity of the crime gave the verdict for “rigorous imprisonment.” In addition, a fine of Rs 60,000 was imposed on the two convicts.

Both Das and Kumar were sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for gang rape, 10 years for rape causing grievous bodily harm, and 12 years for acid attack. The three sentences, totaling up to 42 years, will run concurrently. A concurrent sentence means a defendant convicted of multiple crimes serves their prison terms simultaneously rather than one after the other. Both the convicts, hence, will spend 20 years in prison, minus the time they've already spent in detention during the investigation and court trial. 

Additional District and Sessions Judge, Sylvie Zomuanpuii Ralte, on June 12, 2026, convicted the two border guards in the case under various sections of the IPC and pronounced the punishments on Tuesday, 16 July, 2026.

See also: 30-Year-Old Woman Gang-Raped in Delhi on a Moving Bus; Police Seize Vehicle and Arrest Two Accused

What happened?

Nilanjan Das is a resident of West Bengal, while Dinesh Kumar hails from Uttar Pradesh. On July 16, 2017, the two raped a local tribal woman near Gaskata river in Silsuri West village in Mizoram’s Mamit district, and afterwards threw a corrosive substance on her face. 

The crime happened when the two soldiers were posted at a BSF camp in the area along the Mizoram-Bangladesh border, when they came across the victim and her friend who came to the stream to collect crabs and wild vegetables.

Two days after the crime took place, the victim's brother filed a complaint in the Marapara Police station, and consequently the two accused were arrested. 

As per the victim’s statement, she was forcibly taken by the two BSF soldiers to a nearby betel nut plantation, where they sexually assaulted her before pouring acid on her face. The acid attack led to loss of vision in one eye, severe burns, and disconfiguration of the face, the victim stated. 

See also: Uttarakhand Congress Protests Gang Rape of Minor Involving Former BJP Leader—Police Allege Conspiracy

The victim’s companion was able to evade the rape and acid attack, but, however, was found dead near the crime scene several days later. Post-mortem and forensic examinations concluded that she had been murdered.

Forensic evidence found from the survivor's clothing as well as from her deceased companion linked the crime to the BSF soldiers. In addition, the survivor also identified them as her attackers before a magistrate court. Medical reports and eyewitness accounts from medical experts and investigators, further solidified the case against Das and Kumar. Despite all these, the case has been encased in ongoing legal proceedings for well over nine years. 

However, the two convicts were acquitted of the charge of murdering the victim’s friend. The court cited that the prosecution had failed to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the two accused were responsible for her death.  It also cited the absence of a complete chain of circumstantial evidence linking the two convicts to the homicide as the reason for their acquittal.

[Edited by: Harsh Pandey]

Suggested reading: