Prayagraj, Feb 15 (IANS): A man has been convicted and sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment by a court in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj in a case related to the sexual harassment of a minor girl student here.

The victim had shared her ordeal on social media in 2019 after attaining the age of 18 years, narrating how she was sexually abused by her tutor six years back when she was a minor, and how he continued to abuse her for two years.

The police had taken cognizance of the post and lodged an FIR against her teacher and then arrested him.

Special Judge POCSO court on Wednesday now pronounced the sentence to the accused identified as Sunil Dua of Georgetown area.

Dua has been sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and Rs 10,000 fine has also been imposed on him. Moreover, he has been sentenced to an additional two years of imprisonment and Rs 2,000 fine has been imposed on him for issuing threats to the victim.

Police Commissioner Prayagraj, Ramit Sharma, said the case was identified and rigorously pursued under ‘Operation Conviction’.

Police are ensuring that the accused are held guilty and get maximum punishment for such crimes, he added.

In 2019, the victim wrote a letter in English about her ordeal and posted it on social media which soon went viral sending shockwaves among the people. The letter was translated in Hindi and was shared by many on social media platforms.

The student in her letter said that she was only 12 years old when her tutor sexually exploited her. She did not inform her family about it due to fear of the accused who used to blackmail her, even after he stopped giving her tuition.

Then DGP Uttar Pradesh took cognizance of the letter when he learnt about it and issued instructions to register an FIR.