Madhubani: A special court on Saturday sentenced two men— Sushil Rai and Om Prakash Jha— to death for the gangrape and murder of an eight-year-old Dalit girl. Special judge for SC/ST cases and additional district and sessions judge, Syed Mohammad Fazlul Bari, delivered the verdict after hearing arguments of both sides. The court also imposed a fine of ₹1.55 lakh on each convict under various sections. The horrific crime took place on June 22, 2023 at a village under Jaynagar police station of Madhubani district.Special public prosecutor Sapan Kumar Singh described the case as ‘rarest of the rare’, urging the court to award the death penalty. Defense counsel Amit Kumar argued in favour of the accused, but the court upheld the prosecution’s demand for capital punishment.According to the prosecution, the minor’s family members were away at work when the accused lured the girl to Jaynagar market under the pretext of buying food. They took her to a room in Koshi Colony, where they sexually assaulted her. When the child screamed, the perpetrators strangled her with a gamchha (towel) and inflicted multiple injuries on her head and body. The next day, police arrested the accused, who led them to the victim’s body, which had been concealed under asbestos sheets in an abandoned structure.