PRAYAGRAJ, March 26 -- A special court under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in Pratapgarh has convicted a man from the Manikpur area of the district in a gang rape case and sentenced him to 20 years of imprisonment along with a fine of Rs.50,000 on Wednesday. The judgment was pronounced by additional sessions judge and special judge (POCSO) Parul Verma. The court found the accused, Deepu, guilty of gang rape, assault and issuing threats to kill. It ordered that the fine amount be paid to the two minor victims as compensation. According to the prosecution, the incident took place on September 20, 2015, at around 5 pm. Two 13-year-old girls had gone to a nearby orchard in a village of Manikpur when four accused, allegedly hiding in a paddy field, intercepted them. The accused overpowered the victims, gagged them and committed sexual assault. Hearing their cries, family members rushed to the spot, prompting the accused to flee. The complaint further stated that when the victims' family later approached the accused's house, he was not present, and his family members allegedly assaulted and threatened them. In this case, 11 witnesses presented their statements in court. The court acquitted two other accused, Shobhalal Patel and Karan, due to a lack of evidence. The court also ordered that the victim be provided financial compensation according to the rules from the Uttar Pradesh Rani Lakshmi Bai Mahila Samman Kosh. Special public prosecutor Ashok Kumar Tripathi represented the state in this case....