The Fast Track Special Court, Hoshiarpur, on Friday sentenced Nanke Yadav alias Radhe Sham, 33, to death for kidnapping, sexually assaulting and murdering five-year-old Harveer Singh in September last year. Since Yadav is a migrant labourer from Uttar Pradesh, the gruesome murder had last year led to widespread unrest among locals, with panchayats even passing resolutions to evict migrants from villages.Additional Sessions Judge Manpreet Kaur pronounced the sentence after hearing arguments on the quantum of punishment. The convict, who is lodged in jail, was produced before the court through video conferencing.The court had convicted Nanke Yadav on September 15 under various sections of the BNS and Sections 6 and 10 of the POCSO Act. The court held that the chain of incriminating circumstances established by the prosecution was complete and consistent with the guilt of the accused.Harveer had gone missing on September 9, 2025, after going with his sister to Gurdwara Baba Deep Singh Sahib in New Deep Nagar. During the investigation, CCTV footage from several locations showed Yadav taking the child on a two-wheeler and later carrying him towards the cremation ground. The court also considered the testimony of the child’s sister and another witness who had seen Nanki Yadav with Harveer.The child’s body was recovered from bushes near the Rahimpur cremation ground on September 10. The investigation also resulted in the recovery of forensic evidence, including blood-stained wooden pieces, footwear and other articles. The accused was arrested the same day.While deciding the sentence, the court considered the aggravating and mitigating circumstances and referred to the accused’s previous conviction in a rape case in UP. The court concluded that the aggravating circumstances outweighed the mitigating circumstances and treated the case as falling in the “rarest of rare” category.The court sentenced Yadav to death under Section 103 BNS, besides awarding separate jail terms under other sections. All sentences will run concurrently. The death sentence is subject to confirmation by the High Court.