Brave Jalandhar girl who chased a snatcher gets justice: Two get 10 years in jail | Watch video
A Jalandhar court sentenced two men to 10 years in jail for attacking brave schoolgirl Kusum Kumari during a 2020 phone snatching bid
PTC Web Desk: Nearly six years after a schoolgirl’s courage made headlines across the country, a Jalandhar court has sent the two men who attacked her to prison for a decade.
Additional Sessions Judge Parminder Singh Rai sentenced Avinash Kumar, alias Ashu, and Vinod Kumar, alias Jhikka, to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment each for the murderous assault on Kusum Kumari, who was just 15 when she was targeted during a phone-snatching attempt.
The court found both men guilty under Section 307 (attempt to murder) and Section 379-B (snatching) of the Indian Penal Code. Vinod was also convicted under Section 411 for dishonestly retaining stolen property, for which he received a separate two-year term and a fine of Rs 5,000. Both convicts were also fined Rs 50,000 each under Section 307 and Rs 20,000 each under Section 379-B.
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The incident
The attack took place on August 30, 2020. Kusum, then an Class 8 student of Lala Jagat Narayan DAV Model School, was walking home from tuition near Shivjyoti Park in Deen Dayal Upadhyay Nagar when two men on a motorcycle tried to snatch her mobile phone.
Instead of letting go, she chased the snatcher and grabbed hold of his shirt. The man struck her on the head with a sickle. As she raised her left arm to shield herself, the blade cut deep into her wrist, severing nerves and requiring emergency surgery.
A video of her bravery went viral on social media, drawing widespread praise. She was later honoured with a national bravery award. The then Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh appreciated her courage and gave her Rs 1 lakh in financial aid, while the then Police Commissioner Gurpreet Bhullar gave her Rs 50,000 and a new phone. The district administration had a graffiti portrait of her painted under the PAP flyover and she was named brand ambassador of the “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” campaign.
How the case was proved
In reaching its verdict, the court relied on the testimony of Kusum and two neighbours who were present at the spot, CCTV images, the recovered weapon and motorcycle and a forensic laboratory report.