Rajkot: A court here today gave death penalty to a man for raping a seven-year-old girl and sexually assaulting her with an iron rod. The verdict has been pronounced within 44 days of the crime.

Special POCSO judge VA Rana convicted the accused, Ramsinh Dudva (32), a native of Alirajpur in Madhya Pradesh, of charges under relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for rape and aggravated sexual assault.

Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi said that the Gujarat government is firmly committed to the safety of every daughter and works with zero tolerance towards such incidents.